Voyagers Saga: Null Chi
by Cydra
Summary: Turmoil occurs in San Fransisco when a group of mercs from another universe arrives. Now the Chans will have to deal with resurfacing demons, ancient dragon magic, and a whole lot of alien things, with little chance of normalcy in sight.
1. Eternity Means Diddly

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 1: Eternity Means Diddly**

**Vinovin VII**

**Sector 15, Nullspace**

Vinovin VII was one of the NSC's main magi research centers, places close to Nocturnus-6. Anton wasn't impressed. In his 10,000 years of life he'd seen plenty. What confused him was why OmegaMorph was being sent to raid its supply warehouse.

"This is hardly necessary at all," said Anton, "If we wanted to steal something, we could send in a few drones. Don't you think sending a tank like you is overkill?"

OmegaMorph had just reached the restricted section, tossing the body of a guard he'd fought earlier aside. "You are not required to know," he said before blowing the blastdoor off its runners. The guards inside started firing at him. OmegaMorph grinned as the blasts made only rapidly-healed pinpricks on his skin. "Please, you're only tickling," he said before opening his mouth and sending out a gale of wind.

The guards were sent flying into moaning semi-conscious heaps. Anton looked at some of boxes, stepping over an out cold guard. "This is all alchemy junk. I think your Cybernetics need fixing..."

OmegaMorph and slammed Anton against a wall with his tail. "I outrank you, I am above your questioning, unless you think you can challenge me for leadership."

"Fine..." muttered Anton weakly. OmegaMorph snorted and dropped Anton. Nobody noticed the blinking light of the security camera.

A week later

Matt watched as the security footage ended. "So...why call us for stolen blowfish spines?" he said to General McNeil, head of the NSC's Special Magi Division.

"Because they were stolen a very prominent pair in the Empire," said McNeil, "One of them you're well familiar with. The other...needs little introduction."

Matt nodded. "Commander Anton...I know the nutter," he said.

McNeil said, "It's Captain now. He was demoted after the Banshee Base fiasco. The other is their new commander, OmegaMorph."

"OmegaMorph? Oh, you mean that new Shadow Clone Hamsterviel made by scrapping Nega..." Matt's voice trailed as everyone turned to look at NegaMorph, who had a dark brooding look on his face.

"So...that's your replacement?" Matt said. NegaMorph just nodded and Matt guessed enough to drop it before turning to McNeil. "Forget it...I have my own troubles at the moment."

McNeil smirked. "Yes...Kai, isn't it?"

Matt glowered and said, "I don't stick my nose into your love life."

"How about I have my agents poke their noses in instead?" McNeil said.

Matt lifted an eyebrow and said, "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"Actually, from his tone, I think that's actually an offer," said Techo.

"Indeed, my agents are the best. I can find your girl in a month tops. All you have to do is head to San Francisco in G-142. You held off NegaMorph with ease. OmegaMorph can't be much harder," said McNeil.

Matt said "I dunno..."

McNeil added, "And you keep the ship."

"Hmm... you're not offering a junk ship, are you? That's what happened last time," said Matt.

McNeil said, "You didn't work for S.M.D. Only the best for our contracted teams," pointing out a window.

A brand new Conestoga Class patrol battlecruiser could be seen being tended by utility drones. "You're kidding," said Matt dully.

"I always keep a promise," said McNeil.

"Put that promise on paper and ink and you've got yourself a deal," said Matt.

McNeil pulled out a datapad, "Sign on the dotted line."

The gang were quite pleased at the change in fortune. "You got us a Conestoga class? They're top of the line," said Chloe

"Yep, and all we have to do is tail Anton and OmegaMorph to some dimension's San Francisco," said Matt.

Chloe said, "Can't be too hard. How bad can this OmegaMorph be?"

"I'd say he'd be pretty bad," said NegaMorph gruffly.

"How would you-" started Chloe before NegaMorph interrupted her.

"BECAUSE HE WAS CARVED OUT OF MY FLESH!" he snapped.

Everyone jumped back. "Ok..." said Chloe.

Matt said, "But we got better guns now."

Contrinus shivered, "Ooooh..."

"Contrinus? What's wrong?" asked Draco.

"I've got this cold, clammy feeling going down my spine," said Contrinus.

Techo said happily, "I always get that whenever Matt thinks a job'll be easy."

"Uh, doesn't that normally mean that it won't be easy?" asked Contrinus.

"How long have you been on this crew?" said Draco simply.

Contrinus said, "Oh...right."

"So, anything of significance in this San Francisco?" asked Chip.

"Nope, the NSC only has a few archeology digs in the Pacific," said Techo.

Lao said, "But you can bet that anything the empire wants, we want first."

OmegaMorph and Anton were at Mountain Lake Park. Their bots were busy setting up a temporary base. "I still think it's a bad idea setting up here," said Anton, "Advanced robots and large black space monsters don't blend in well here."

"It's midnight. We will be gone by sunrise. Once we have the target contained, we shall be gone," said OmegaMorph, as several bots set up the oblong in the middle of the park.

One of Anton's men said, "Last ingredients in, just need a spark of magi and we're on."

"I suppose that's my job then," said Anton.

OmegaMorph knocked Anton over and said, "No, I have the greater reserves of power. I shall do this."

"Then why drag me along?" said Anton.

"To watch my back while I'm concentrating," said OmegaMorph.

Anton sighed. "Fine...let's get this show going," he said.

OmegaMorph fixed a stare on the portal and looked at a datapad, before starting to mutter the strange language on it.

A trooper ran up to Anton. "Boss...NSC ship just warped in...company's coming."

Anton looked over at some bushes when he heard a rustle. "Might already be here," he said with a smirk, his eyes glowing white.

As he approached the bush, he heard rather strange voices. "Jade, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be training!"

"I am training. I'm training in the field."

"Too dangerous, demon has many minions."

Anton nodded at his men who all charged their blasters. "Good evening. Can I draw your attention to my men? The guys with the pulse rifles. C'mon out," he said cheerfully.

Anton was expecting Matt's crew again. The moment of tension was rather spoiled when four Asian people came out of the bushes, among them was an old man, a Sumo, and a little girl. "Is this a joke?" said Anton.

One of the troopers looked at a scanner. "Timeline specifics," he said.

Anton looked at them. "My name is Captain Anton. You've met my men. And who are you four, the A-Team?"

"That's J-Team to you," said the little girl.

She was about to do a flying kick when the Chinese man grabbed her. "Jade, what part of 'pulse rifles' do you not understand?"

"Oh, but Jackie..." whined the girl.

"Jackie? Name sounds familiar. Well, as you can see, I can't let you all leave with your minds intact. Not that anyone would believe you," said Anton. Behind him, the makeshift portal activated, filling with a red swirling vortex.

As you can imagine, a netherworld is not pleasant by any account, particularly demon netherworlds. Several include flames, pointing rocks, and lots of torment. This particular demon netherworld contained empty space, floating rocks, and utter boredom.

One particular demon couldn't stand the endless abyss. This one had street clothes, bat wings, large ram-like horns, and tentacles growing from his chin. "Ah man, this netherworld bites," groaned Drago, "No wonder Dad and my uncles and aunts want outta here."

A crackling noise got his attention. Lightning crackled in the air near his rock and a rectangle-shaped portal appeared. Unlike the one that had brought him and his dad, the Fire Demon, Shendu to the netherworld, this one was flickering wildly like a badly tuned TV show.

Drago eyed the portal with dubiousness. "Hmm, second-rate magic at best. Probably will mess up with my magic once I get through. But who cares? Anything's worth getting out of limbo."

Back in the real world, Anton had turned to look at the portal in shock. He could sense the energy coming from it and had a good idea what was on the other side. "Now that's impressive," he said, momentarily forgetting about his prisoners.

"Ai ya!" cried the old man, "Portal is allowing access to demon netherworld! Tohru, we cannot allow demons to cross over!"

"Yes, sensei," said the sumo.

Anton turned as Tohru started walking towards OmegaMorph and the portal. He calmly walked in front. It was time these locals knew who they were dealing with. "Can't let you do that," he said, looking up at Tohru's face calmly.

"You are messing with very dark forces, especially him," said the old man, pointing at OmegaMorph.

"Well, that's the main point," said Anton.

"You better stop now or you will be sorry," said the old man, pointing a dried blowfish at Anton.

Anton raised an eyebrow. "A demonstration then," he said and aimed his palm at Tohru. "Goodbye," he said cockily and sent a sonic burst into Tohru, sending him back several dozen feet.

The old man gasped and said, "Jackie, demon's minions have dark chi magic."

"But Uncle, how am I supposed to fight all of- Ow!" Jackie winced as Uncle smacked his forehead with his first two fingers.

"Minions not important, stopping demon is," said Uncle, pointing at OmegaMorph.

Anton sighed. "Do I have to cut something off before you get the message?" he said, drawing and igniting his ion blade. Nobody noticed a shadow grab one of the perimeter guards and pull him into the bushes.

"Oh, you want a piece of Uncle?" said the old man, pointing the blowfish at Anton.

Anton looked. "What ya gonna do? Give me salmonella?" he said before a blast of green light knocked him over. "Ok...that hurt. Ok...I'll take three pieces," he said, his eyes white with fury.

"Will you guys keep it down?" snapped OmegaMorph, "I cannot conjure with you yapping like that."

He had turned just in time to see a guy in NSC kit pop out of a bush to hit one of Anton's men over the head and pull him out of sight. OmegaMorph then proved his difference between him and NegaMorph: he fired a blast at the bush.

Immediately, a white slug-like blob jumped high into the air with a yelp, clutching his singed bottom. As soon as he landed, he made a beeline for the nearest fountain and jumped into it. He sighed with relief as steam came off of him.

The bots and remaining troops...and well...everyone else stared. Anton snapped out first. "KILL...ow!" he began before another chi blast sent him sprawling.

"Uncle, what was that?" asked Jackie.

"Not important, stop demon conjuring!" said Uncle.

OmegaMorph turned as Jackie headed for him and roared at him, nearly blowing Jackie off his feet. A second later, several dozen troopers jumped out. Anton's men seemed to know them as they started shooting wildly along with the droids. Two of the newcomers also had energy blades, putting them to good use on any bot near them.

Just then the blob from before came out of the fountain. "What did I miss?" he asked.

Then one of the energy blade-wielders somehow levitated him and said, "Morph, be distraction!" He then tossed the blob towards OmegaMorph's head.

OmegaMorph was readying an attack on Jackie when the blob splatted across his face, causing him to flail away. Anton however was also headed for Jackie. He aimed a slash, just missing. "Normally I don't kill timeline specifics, but you and your gramps have pissed me off...BIG TIME!" he said, his teeth sharpening to dragon fangs as he yelled the last bit.

"Um, you should see a dentist about those teeth," said Jackie.

"My teeth are just fi-" started Anton before OmegaMorph's flailing tail caught him in the face.

Anton got back up and transformed to his dragon hybrid form...and noticed a difference. "Damn local magi field!" he yelled and charged Jackie.

What Jackie saw was a creature similar to Drago, only cloud grey in color and a different head shape. "Guess these guys are more than just minions," said Jackie before dodging under Anton's charge.

"Stay still and die, you little pest!" said Anton, aiming a slash that Jackie dodged. Said slash cleaved easily through a solid steel lamppost like it was butter.

Jackie gulped and said, "You obviously don't slack off when training."

"Not really. Now stay still and die!" said Anton, sending a sonic pulse at Jackie who managed to jump it. "WHERE THE HELL ARE MY DROIDS?...oh," he said as the head of a battle droid landed at his feet. He looked up to see Matt. "Oh, great...as if it couldn't get worse," he muttered.

Just then, OmegaMorph finally pulled PlasMorph off his face. Morph looked at the glaring super clone and gulped. "Um, hello," he said.

OmegaMorph roared and threw Morph away before looking at Jackie. "YOU'RE DEAD!" he roared before being frozen in place and blasted backwards.

One of the other blade holders blocked a sneaky slash from Anton. "If you don't play fair, then you get disqualified," he said cheekily to Anton who practically screamed with fury.

Just then, Tohru was getting back up. "Tohru! No time for nap! We must seal portal before demons escape!" shouted Uncle.

One demon had escaped. One thing could be said for Matt and company (for it was them attacking Anton's men), they were one hell of a distraction. Drago rubbed his head. Having most of your chi forcibly stripped by an unstable portal hurt. Drago looked around to see the Chan clan fighting his apparent summoners as well as another group fighting them. "Much as I'd like to fry Chan's butt, doctor says I need to take a vacation for my health," said Drago before running off.

Matt and Anton both looked over to see Drago's disappearing form. "Didn't you learn with Malefor? Demon = disaster," said Matt before Anton headbutted him.

"I think your biggest concern is going to be that gaping hole in your chest," said Anton. He was about to plunge his sword down when a hand made of shadows grabbed him around the waist. "What?" He looked backwards to see Lady NegaMorph controlling the shadows.

"Why you little..." he began before a plasma orb hit him under the chin, sending him flying into OmegaMorph, who was still trying to grab Jackie.

"Bull's eye!" said Matt, his hand still smoking.

"Uh, Matt, do you always look like this in hybrid form?" asked Megan.

"What are you talking about?" asked Matt, before noticing his hand had different claws than usual. "Oh, smeg...its Nifspell all over again. I hate magi sooo much," he said with feeling.

Just then, OmegaMorph threw Morph into Jackie, sending them both tumbling downhill. He then turned and saw Matt and Megan. "So, if it isn't the Traveler who's been giving the Empire so much trouble," said OmegaMorph, "And the illegitimate niece of my predecessor."

"Oh look, it's the blob," retorted Matt before trying plasma control to no effect. "Erm...oh crap," he said simply.

OmegaMorph grinned and said, "I came prepared for that little trick." He pointed one of his hands at Matt and the mouth in it opened up. An icy gale came from out of it.

Megan stepped back in worry as Matt was flash-frosted. "...ow…" he managed.

A lightning bolt hit OmegaMorph in the back. "Nobody flash-freezes my brother BUT ME!" yelled Chloe.

"General Silvia, or should I say Ex-General?" said OmegaMorph before turning and smacking the ground, causing it to crack open and Chloe fell in. OmegaMorph turned, grinning to Matt. "Let's see what I can snap off," he said before a green blast shot around him, the end turning into a hand with two fingers that hit him before he was blasted into the distance.

Anton stared before saying, "Er...you win," before running off.

Uncle blew the smoke off his blowfish and said, "Hot cha. Tohru, help Uncle seal portal."

"Yes, sensei," said Tohru.

The portal itself was handling that itself. While magic had been the trigger, it used stolen technology to form the portal...and now the magic was overloading it. Sparks flew from its emitters and the portal faded to nothing. "Hmm, lousy spellcasting," said Uncle, "Time to return to shop." He turned around and spotted Matt and co. "AI YA! DEMONS HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM VOID!"

"What? Where? Guys, if you see a talking chainsaw, blow its head off," said Matt in a panic.

"Uh, Uncle, you sure about that?" asked Jade, "They seem too weird to be demons. And that one doesn't seem evil at all."

She pointed towards Jackie, who had Morph sitting on his head with a pair of twigs up Morph's nose. "Why can I smell only wood?" asked Morph.

Matt however looked like he was having a fit. "Undead...UNDEAD…" he gibbered.

Uncle got in front of Matt and pointed his dried lizard at him. "Half demon, you shall not trouble this earth," he said.

"Pardon?" said Matt before a blast hit him in the face. "Extra crispy," he rasped before falling sideways.

Techo, Talia, Chris and Lao came into view. "We lost Anton...wow...what we miss?" said Techo.

"Demon has minions! Tohru, good chi binding!" shouted Uncle.

"Uh, I think there's some kind of misunderstand," said Chloe, "I'd gladly explain things, as soon as I can get out of this hole in the ground."

Techo n co were not so cautious, pulling out blasters. "Drop the...fish. I cannot believe I said that," said Chris.

"Uncle, maybe we should listen to them," said Jackie.

"Demons are very cunning. Spin very good lies. We must capture them for questioning!" said Uncle.

"How many demons use pulse blasters?" said Matt, waving said blaster around.

Just then, NegaMorph and Gary appeared through a shadow portal. Since it was nighttime, Gary was in his gargoyle form. "Sorry I'm late," said NegaMorph, "Got held up by Chupy stealing something."

Uncle's eyes practically bulged from his socket. "AIYA! More demons!" Then he spotted Megan and said, "She must be the dark chi witch these demons are familiar to."

"We're not evil. We just helped save your butt, gramps," said Matt, making the mistake of prodding Uncle...who used a sleeper grip on him.

"Doy…" mumbled Matt before falling over.

Uncle looked at the rest and said, "Who else wants a piece of Uncle?"

The others looked at each other before Techo said, "Look, Matt's just had a bad few weeks. We really aren't evil. Looks can deceive."

"Uncle takes no chances. Tohru!" The two of them started chanting and a glowing green ring appeared on the ground surrounding the group.

Techo, Lao, Chris and Talia were separate and were spared and Chloe was still in the hole but the others were stuck. Chloe poked her head out to see this. Luckily, it helped she'd turned back human before climbing up. "Oh, for heaven's sake..." she muttered.

**Section 13**

The gang was not very happy about being cooped up in cells. "This is ridiculous," said Chloe, "We're not even demons, let alone evil."

"And come on, I can see 12 ways out of here. I saw a guard stop his patrol for donuts on the way in," said Techo.

"Mmm... donuts," said Morph.

"Morph, since you have no bones, can't you just squeeze through and let us out?" asked Chip.

"What about the fish?" said Matt.

The cell opened and the ones called Tohru and Uncle came in. "Now what have we done?" said Matt. The others had threatened to knock him out should he try singing.

"Uncle is testing for bad chi," said Uncle, "We start with dark chi witch."

"What makes you say I have dark chi?" asked Megan.

"You have mouth inside hand! That is not sign of good chi!"

Megan glanced at her right arm and said, "Actually, it's more like I have hand inside mouth."

The others glared. "Not helping," said NegaMorph.

"Quiet, Uncle must be doing inspection." He waved a small lantern on a chain around Megan's head.

The only reaction at all was for Megan's face to wrinkle with disgust and said, "Ugh, that really stinks."

Matt wandered over and sniffed it. "Smells like meatloaf," he commented.

Uncle inspected the lantern and said, "Dark chi is present, but only slightly more than average person."

Matt rolled his eyes. "That's what we've been saying for hours. At least you let me call my ship to stop them bursting in," he said.

"Don't rush Uncle," said Uncle, "I have more testing to do."

"Ok...who's next?" said Matt and turned green as the lantern was shoved in his face. "I had to...ask," he said, gagging on the smell.

Uncle inspected the lantern, which had grown darker. "Ooh, darker chi is present in this one."

"That's just Draconus. He's locked up tight," said Techo. Everyone looked at him. "Oh...we still not telling people about him?"

"He is possessed by demon? That would explain his darker chi and terrible breath."

"Look who's talking," said Matt, "Seriously, what did you have for lunch?"

"Draconus is just a nutcase side of Matt. He was locked up tight in Matt's subconscious," said Chloe and jumped as the lantern was shoved in her face and glowed dark as well. "Erm...my dark side's called Silvia," she said in an embarrassed voice

Then the lantern was held in front of Gary. Surprisingly, it remained slightly lighter than Megan's. "No dark chi, at least not worth mentioning," said Uncle.

"Eh, let's get it over with," said NegaMorph. Uncle hung the lantern near NegaMorph, which also went dark. "I radiate negative energy, ok?"

Tohru said, "It is well known that dark creatures cannot hold items of good chi. It is a fool proof test." With that he pulled out a blowfish and passed it to Matt who grabbed it. "Ok...is this good?" he said when nothing happened.

Chloe also held it for a moment before passing it on. "See?" she said, "There's evil about-"

"Ow!" yelped NegaMorph.

"Aha, demon cannot touch good magic!" said Uncle.

"No, I pricked myself on one of the spines," said NegaMorph.

"Do we pass now?" said Matt in a sarcastic tone, "Or do I need a special card?"

Uncle thought for a minute and said, "Very well, strangers are of no harm, except to themselves."

"Is that supposed to be some Chinese proverb?" asked Draco.

"No, you more likely to blast selves than others."

"Cheeky," said Matt, before waving a hand at the guard moving forward with the keys. "Nah...I'll do it," he said, vaporizing the lock.

Chloe glared. "Brothers," she said, rolling her eyes.

"You may not be evil, but you are very strange," said Uncle, "Especially that one." He pointed at Morph, who poking head back and forth through the bars.

Matt looked at Morph. "You know...I just can't think of a counter-argument to that." he said

"If they are not demons, what kind of magical creatures are they?" asked Tohru.

"Actually, a majority of us are aliens," said Chip.

"Yes, but from what country-"

"No, as in space aliens, you know 'take me to your leader'. Kinda obvious since I'm half machine."

"And how many dragons do you know that carry pulse rifles?" said Matt.

Techo said, "What I don't get is what Nega's freaky bro was up to."

NegaMorph snarled at Techo and said, "Don't ever call him that. I want no relation to him at all."

Techo nodded. "Wow...sorry. That doesn't change the fact we have no idea what overloaded that thing in the first place. Something musta wandered through. I'm sure I saw someone."

"Ai ya! Demon is loose in San Francisco?"

"It couldn't have been one of the bigger demons," said Tohru, "Dai Gui or Po Kong would attract too much attention. Ow!"

Uncle whacked Tohru with two fingers and said, "Demons are magic! Can take human form! Have you forgotten Hsi Wu?"

"It looked a bit like the Lynches' hybrid form," said Chris. Tohru and Uncle fell silent. "Erm...you know who we're talking about, don't you."

"That was Drago, junior demon sorcerer, but still powerful and crafty," said Uncle.

"Good, I hate demons sooo much. Let's go cut his head off," said Matt in a nasty voice.

Techo said to Uncle, "Long story involving demons called the Doom Weapons, don't ask...seriously."

"We must make locater spell," said Uncle, "If dragon boy is loose, there's no telling what havoc he could wreak."

"We could scan for him. How many dragons are there in America?" said Techo.

Matt nodded. "Would be quick."

"Magic will find magic," said Uncle, "Tohru, we must gather ingredients."

Techo looked up from talking to WARDEN (who had been moved to the new ship.) "Found him, he's in a junk yard," he said.

Chloe glared and banged Matt and Techo's heads together. "Does 'culture shock' mean ANYTHING TO YOU NUMBSKULLS?" she yelled in Splitter.

"Why was lady growling and hissing?" asked Uncle.

"You'd better off if you ignored them when it's not important," said Chip, "Trust me."

"Let's just find this 'Drago' and blast him till he gets the message," said Chloe, sighing.

Meanwhile, Drago decided to recover at his old hideout, if it could be considered one. He removed an old engine block that was in his way and said, "I should have gotten a better place. If the Chans hadn't have beat me at the Space Needle, I'd be ruling the roost and storms there."

Drago sat back and tried a fireball. It blasted a tire. "Least my normal powers work," he said. He then remembered what his father had said when he had been ranting once how had had temporarily succeeded in taking over the world with the Book of Ages. "Hmm, maybe I can take a little vacation in Australia, check out the beaches, see the Outback, rewrite the course of history. Yeah, I wouldn't make the same mistakes Dad has. No chances of resistance for me. I'd get rid of the Chan, their friends, and that small rebel army."

A blast blew a hole in a car by his head. "Bugger, I missed...Ow...what was that for?" said a voice.

Drago rolled his eyes and said, "Ugh, not now. Can't I have at least a day off?"

Jackie came into view, followed by some of the people he'd seen at the portal. "Hi, you're under arrest, scaly," said a female voice from behind an armored helmet.

"No thanks, lady. I've already done my time," said Drago before breathing out a stream of fire. The group scattered to avoid the blast. The other made a glowing blue orb appear that he then chucked at Drago. Drago had the good sense to dodge the missile. Just as well since it blew up an old car.

He got back up in time to dodge a blue-white blade that cleaved a slice off an old girder. "Where you going, buddy?" said Matt.

"Don't recall seeing you before," said Drago, "And I don't intend on seeing you again." He covered his hand in flame and punched Matt.

"Ow...that was unexpected," said Matt, getting back up.

Uncle smacked him with two fingers. "Drago is son of the Fire Demon, Shendu. Of course he can do that!" said Uncle as Jackie and Chloe tried to double team Drago.

"Yeah, he does that a lot," said a voice. Matt jumped and turned to see a girl in an orange hoodie behind him.

"What are you doing here?" asked Matt.

"I'm part of Section 13. My business to deal with zits and scales over there," said the girl.

Matt looked puzzled and muttered, "They're getting younger every year." He then tried another plasma orb, but Drago countered with a fireball before sending another one that nearly melted Matt's foot."That's it, screw magic," he said, pulling out a weapon Chloe recognized.

"Not here! It's an enclosed..." she began before diving for cover as Matt fired the plasma magnum into Drago's side. Drago was thrown far away. Unfortunately, Matt still hadn't gotten around to fixing the recoil problem, so he too was sent flying, but in the opposite direction.

"Victory...and spinal damage is mine," Matt groaned from the rusted car he'd been shot into, looking at the smoke from the truck cab Drago had landed in. "Like I said, we're professionals," Matt said, walking over to it.

However, there was a burst of flame and Drago emerged from the wreckage. "But how? I had a clear shot on him. Ow!" Uncle had whacked Matt again.

"Drago is magic. Magic must defeat magic," said Uncle.

Drago looked quite annoyed and looked directly at Matt. "Who the hell do you think you are, Han Solo?" he snarled, flames licking from his mouth. Drago paused and sniffed the air. "Hmm...I smell dragons, and it's not me."

Matt grinned. "Well...me n Chloe have a little magic of our own," he said before he and Chloe readied their hybrid forms.

Drago looked confused and said, "Don't recall having any siblings."

"How about a family reunion, back in the netherworld?" said Jackie before doing a flying kick.

Matt and Chloe charged too, only for Drago to jump over them and aim a fireball at Jackie. Techo was trying a clear aim with his rifle. "Whatever you're gonna do, do it fast, gramps," he said and winced as Matt was piledrived by Drago.

Drago got up and noticed the group surrounding him. "All of you against one of me, that doesn't seem fair, does it?" said Drago.

Suddenly, an old TV seemingly lifted itself up and then hurled towards Techo.

Techo fired his pulse rifle at it out of reflex, the shells tearing the old TV to splinters. "OK...WHO DID THAT?" he said before a hubcap knocked him out.

"Whoever they are, they are so gonna regret messing with- WHOA!" Suddenly Jade was lifted up into the air.

"Jade! What are you doing?" called Jackie.

"Um, I think I'm levitating. Or someone's levitating me," said Jade. Then whatever seemed to be holding her started swinging her around very fast.

Matt sniffed. "I know that smell..." he said before throwing a plasma ball at the space below Jade. The plasma blasted into an invisible shape and Jade fell down. At the same time, a dent appeared in an old trailer and a dark voice said "...Ow."

Talia quickly caught Jade and said, "Gotcha kiddo, you ok?"

"Oh... I think I'm gonna hurl," said Jade, whose face was slightly green.

A familiar shape appeared with a groan, a large wyvern with a skull-like face and mummy-like bandages wrapped around its long front limbs. Its appearance made even Drago take a step back. "What in the

netherworld?" he said

"Ghoulwyrm...we don't have time to play," said Chloe, sending a lightning bolt at the dracolich. Ghoulwyrm glared and sank backwards into the trailer before the lightning bolt hit. "Oh right, he can become intangible," said Chloe.

"Ai ya! Another demon!" cried Uncle.

"Actually, he's undead," said Matt, "Which isn't much better."

Chloe glared and pulled a grenade off her combat armor. "Intangible or not, I'm roasting him. This is not the time," she said, priming it and throwing it through a window in the trailer. The trailer exploded a few seconds later. "Well, that takes care of that," said Chloe.

Ghoulwyrm appeared behind Drago and, mistaking him for an ally of the Lynches, sent him flying with a swipe. He quickly realized his mistake and said, "Oh, sorry."

"What kind of monster is that?" asked Jackie.

"Several kinds," said Ghoulwyrm before his muzzle split in four.

"Cover your ears!" shouted Matt. Jackie was about to ask why before his eyes crossed as Ghoulwyrm let out a sonic roar that shook the ground. A junkpile practically vibrated with a rattling noise. "Oh no," said Matt, slowly getting a good grip on his helmet.

Then the junk on the top started tilting forward. "JUNKSLIDE!" yelled Jade before the pile started coming down on them. Ghoulwyrm extended three bandage tendrils and grabbed Drago before pulling him away.

"This is gonna hurt," moaned Matt before a car landed on him upside down. The others got up to see Matt, perfectly ok, having gone through the sunroof. He had a distant, terrified expression. "Nnnnngh," he whimpered, leaving imprints with his claws in his gun.

"Hey, put me down!" yelled Drago, "No one kidnaps me!"

"This isn't a kidnapping, it's a rescue," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Why would I want to go anywhere with you?" said Drago.

"Would you rather go with them?" said Ghoulwyrm, pointing at the group.

Techo had gotten back up and he and Chris were firing at them, the rounds bouncing off...and going through the metal around them. Drago could also make out the sound of Uncle speaking a chi spell chant.

"Ok, if we're gonna leave, we better do it before the old man finishes his spell," said Drago.

Ghoulwyrm made a mock bow towards the group and said, "Until we meet again." The lightning rods on his back released a flash of purple lightning that temporarily blinded the group. When they could look, Drago and Ghoulwyrm were gone.

"Ok...this sucks," said Chloe before being slapped by Uncle. "Ow...stop it..." she said.

Talia said "...and someone help me with Matt. I think we'll need a crowbar to get him to let go."

"Where did Drago and that creature go?" asked Tohru.

"I don't know," said Chris, "But with Ghoulwyrm in town, things got a whole lot darker."

"Great, we got an Empire general running around, a new demon on the loose, and Ghoulwyrm to boot. All that's missing is Taleth and Ka...oh," said Techo as his words snapped Matt out of it.

Matt glared at Techo and said, "I think I've got enough to worry about right now. So, what was this about Drago being the son of a fire demon?"

Down in San Francisco's subterranean city, Drago backed up from Ghoulwyrm. "A damn Dracolich. Who are you and why are you helping me?" he said, a fireball at the ready.

"Relax, sonny," said Ghoulwyrm, "If I had wanted to eat you or something, I would have done it by now. Am I correct to believe that your father, aunts, and uncles are the Demon Sorcerers of the Trigrams?"

"You've heard of my family?" said Drago, suspiciously.

"You've got quite a family history," said Ghoulwyrm, "The name is Ghoulwyrm. Like the Chans' new allies, I too come from another world. I've been boning up on ancient and powerful evils and your father and his siblings came up quite a lot."

"So what do you want from me?" said Drago.

"The thing is that the Lynches are as much my enemies as the Chans are yours. They've spoiled so many of my plans that I thought that I need to acquire a bit more power so I can get them out of my way. And when I heard about you, I thought we could assist each other. I scratch your back and you scratch mine, if you will."

"So...I help you rub out these...Lynches and you help me deal with the Chans and get my family out of that damn limbo?" said Drago.

"Something along those lines," said Ghoulwyrm, "Of course, I've heard a few rumors about you and your father not being on the best of terms. I'm a bit surprised to hear you wanting to break him out."

"It might stop him whining," said Drago darkly.

"I see," said Ghoulwyrm, "Of course, it might take some time to get your family out, but I think we can do plenty in the meantime."

"Fine, whatever, I have a good idea where those do-gooders are right now anyhow," said Drago.

"Yes, I think I know too," said Ghoulwyrm, "Incidentally, there is very something in Section 13's vault that could prove really useful. Your father has told you of the Shadowkhan, right?"

"Yes, he mentioned that he was having trouble with them when the Chans released him. Something about Tarakudo," said Drago, before catching on with a smirk, "I like your thinking."

"Of course, if we are going to get into Section 13, we're going to need a distraction," said Ghoulwyrm. He turned his gaze towards the Bizzaritorium and said, "And I think I know where to find it."

After the battle at the junkyard, the group went back to Section 13. "So, you're saying there were 8 demon sorcerers who were defeated by the Eight Immortals. Shendu, the fire one, managed to break out but got turned into a statue and his powers split into 12 talismans. Now he, the talismans, and his future son are in a demon netherworld with the rest of them?" asked Matt.

"Until now," said Jackie

"Hey, we didn't open the portal. We were trying to stop OmegaMorph," said Matt, on the defensive. He was too used to being the one responsible for magical mishaps.

"How lizard boy escaped is not important," said Uncle, "Sending him back is. Uncle needs time to research proper banishing spell as well as undead dragon with him. We will need special parchment."

"For what?" asked Jackie.

"To place on undead dragon's forehead to immobilize him."

"Actually, I was kinda there when he was still alive and all that. I don't think he's Eastern," said Matt.

Just then, the alarms began to sound off. "Let me guess, security breach?" asked Matt.

"Let's go kick some dragon butt," said Jade.

"No, it's too dangerous," said Jackie.

"C'mon, I've beaten Drago before."

"But what about this Glowworm?" reminded Jackie.

"Glowworm...I gotta remember that," said Matt, happily. Gunshots could be heard and several agents ran by the doorway, one holding half a gun. A large red worm with six tusk-like mandibles crawled round the corner before stopping. "Oh, no. Not these things again," said Matt.

Jade slammed the door on it. "Problem solved," she said before there was a crunching noise and the waste crawler munched a hole in the wall.

"Whoa, these guys have a healthy appetite." The waste crawler paused and spat a green glob at the other wall, which burned a hole into instantly.

"And very unhealthy saliva," said Matt.

The waste crawler turned to spit at the annoying mortals and was torn apart as Matt and the gang opened fire on it with their rifles. NSC had spent millennia living with weird and their weapons were made for jobs like this...except for the slime...

"Ew, gross," said Jade.

"You're telling me," said Matt.

The group looked out to see several more of the waste crawlers, who had luckily decided to eat inanimate objects over living and a strange raptor-like creature. Its hide was of a dark dull brown color and instead of having arms, it had six spiderlike legs and a pair of horns where its eyes should be.

"No...it's not possible..." said Matt, fear making him see something different, an infected. The creature shrieked and charged the sources of magic. It was hungry and the humans so far had been barely morsels. It was practically vaporized as Matt yelled, sending a wall of plasma into it.

"Nice work Matt," said Chloe, "But the girly screams was hardly necessary."

"Um, that was Jade," said Matt.

"Was not!" said Jade.

Matt looked at the pile of ashes that had been the creature and the waste crawlers behind them. Chloe said, "It's ok, we both know they're gone. DARKRIFT took them out," she said. A crash came from the distance.

"The vault!" cried Jackie.

"Che, relax, Jackie," said Jade, "The Talismans and demon chi's long gone. There's nothing left in that vault... except the Mask of Tarakudo!"

"So? It's just a mask…OW!" said Techo as Uncle slapped him.

"YOU WANT UNDEAD TO HAVE POWER OF SHADOKHAAAN?" he yelled at Techo who cringed more out of shock than anything else.

"Uh, Shadowkhan are bad things, right?" asked Matt.

"Very bad," said Jackie.

"Oh great, they're probably undead," muttered Matt darkly.

Ghoulwyrm watched as Drago blew the vault door open. "Impressive," he said, meaning it. The vault security almost rivaled that of an NSC ship.

"Yeah, but we'll need to find some way across the floor with touching it," said Drago, "If it can blow up pens, I don't want it touching my feet."

"Uh, duh, I'm part ghost," said Ghoulwyrm as he floated off the floor and crossed the vault to where a Japanese mask of a red demon's face was hanging on the wall. "Not much to look at," said Ghoulwyrm, lifting up the mask. An explosion further down the hall was heard. "Lynch," said Ghoulwyrm absently and said "Chloe," as a buzzing noise was heard.

"It's gonna be hard getting back out," said Drago.

"Not at all," said Ghoulwyrm as he grabbed Drago, "Don't lose contact with me."

"What are you doing? YAH!" said Drago as he and Ghoulwyrm literally went down through the floor just as the gang came into view.

Uncle's eyes went to the empty wall and he yelled, "Ai ya, they took cursed oni mask!"

"I think they went down." said Matt.

"How much is the floor security worth?" said Chloe, getting a good idea what Matt had planned.

"I don't think they'll mind so much," said Matt as he blasted the floor.

Matt dropped down into the underground tunnel under the vault in time to see Ghoulwyrm.

"Alright, hand over the-" Just then, a scaly arm popped out from under Ghoulwyrm along with muffled yelling. "Oops," said Ghoulwyrm before moving to show a slightly squashed Drago.

Matt backed up as Drago got to his feet with murder in mind. "Oh, I don't think we've met. My name's Captain Lynch. What's yours?" he said nervously.

Drago looked at Matt and turned to Ghoulwyrm. "This is the guy's who been messing with your plans?" he said incredulously.

"Believe me, he's a lot tougher than he looks," said Ghoulwyrm, "And a major stake in the neck."

Drago said, "He's just hu..." before a blast hit him in the chest and knocked him into the wall. "Oh yeah, now I remember," said Drago, barely singed.

"You really need to be more picky with the lackeys you pick," said Matt, "This Drago's as tough as a skink."

Suddenly, Drago leapt off the wall and did an axe kick on Matt's head. "Oh, I think I'm at the top of the reptile family," said Drago before punching Matt into a wall.

Matt snarled angrily, turning hybrid before aiming a punch at Drago. "Little pink...WHOA!" said Matt before Drago grabbed his arm, pulled him closer and kicked Matt in the chest before flipping him over his head. "Call yourself a dragon?" said Drago.

"Nah, I call myself a mercenary," said Matt, before send a plasma blast into Drago's shin. Drago hopped back and turned as Matt got up and got him in a headlock. "Say 'Night night'," said Matt and was headbutted in the face before being roundhouse kicked to the floor.

"Night night," said Drago cockily.

"Most impressive, Drago," said Ghoulwyrm, "Now how about we take this mask where it will be useful?"

Drago looked at Matt. "I thought you wanted this guy dead," he said, prodding the groaning Matt before a lightning bolt split a brick next to his head.

"THAT'S why. His sister's more competent and a better shot," said Ghoulwyrm.

"So why not take her out?" said Drago.

"Because since you knocked out her brother, she'll be too much to deal with," said Ghoulwyrm, "Trust me on this one."

Chloe proved this by landing in a crouch, her eyes solid red and snarling. "Hurt my brother, would you?" she said in a terrifyingly demonic voice.

"Ok, she's not really as tough as she looks, right?" asked Draco.

"Trust me, a female's wrath is scarier than that of a male's," said Ghoulwyrm.

"I'll crush your spine," hissed Chloe.

Drago said, "She reminds me of my family with that attitude," before a lightning bolt literally blew a hole in the wall. "Kinda like Uncle Chang Tzu, only hotter," said Draco. Chloe growled even louder.

"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention," said Ghoulwyrm, "She hates flattery."

Chloe grabbed Drago, jumped up and planted both her currently taloned feet in Drago's chest in a double kick. Ghoulwyrm grabbed Drago and got ready to phase through a wall. "See ya, got a family reunion to plan," he said and went through the wall with Drago, avoiding a bolt of energy lightning.

Chloe snarled at the wall where Ghoulwyrm disappeared before turning to help Matt up. Matt groaned and said, "No one said that dragon boy knew kung fu."

Chloe said angrily, "You stupid idiot, he almost turned you into a pair of boots." Matt was helped up and pulled his sister up out the hole.

A second later, they both got smacked by Uncle. "You let evil dragons escape with mask!" yelled Uncle, "Do you know what kind of evil they could unleash?"

"I'm sorry, I was busy making sure my KIDNEYS WERE STILL IN!" yelled Matt

"Kidneys are least of problem when demons will be unleashed to steal our souls!" snapped Uncle.

"Again?" muttered Techo.

"So what's so dangerous about this mask anyways?" asked Chloe, "I've seen scarier ones in Lilo's room."

Tohru said, "The mask of Tarakudo contains the spirit of 10 Oni demons that command the legions of Shadowkhan," he said.

Draco gulped, "That'll qualify."

"And these Shadowkhan guys are like demonic ninjas?" asked Matt.

"There are 9 different tribes of Shadowkhan, each with its own unique and deadly style," said Tohru.

"Oh goody. We've only been here, what? 18 hours and already demons want to eat us," said Matt, gloomily before bursting into tears on Jackie's shoulder. "Why is it always undeaaaad?" he wailed.

"I know how you feel," said Jackie, "There are plenty of times where I wish I could just have a normal day."

"Che, normal's boring," said Jade, "Getting to kick evil butt again's totally cool."

Matt twitched at this and started giggling. "Oh yes...being shot at every other hour is SOOO MUCH FUN...HAHAHAHA!" he said before falling over.

"Uh, is he ok?" asked Jackie.

"Imagine all the turmoil you go through, make it daily, and add sci-fi dangers as well," said Chip.

Jade said, "Oh...he's just nuts."

Chloe looked impressed, "Hmm...nice guess."

Techo said, "Well...we were sent in to make sure whatever OmegaMorph was trying would fail, looks like we're staying till lizard boy's back where he belongs."

"Cool!" said Jade, "You can hang out at Uncle's shop!"

"Uncle runs antique store, not a hotel," said Uncle.

"Uh, I think we find lodging somewhere else," said Chris, "There's probably some good hotels here in San Francisco."

"Plus it's not like we're short on funds," said Chloe, pulling out an NSC credit coin.

Uncle picked up the coin and bit it between his teeth. "Real gold," he said, "Worth plenty, if you can find place to sell it."

"It's only a credit," said Chloe before Techo and Chris both tackled her.

"Does 'global economic collapse' ring a bell? NO CREDITS!" yelled Techo.

* * *

And here's the first chapter of a new story. Obviously, this takes place after the series finale. The gang's met up with the Chan clan and looks like they'll be working together against Drago, Ghoulwyrm, and OmegaMorph's forces. Not to mention that they have the Mask of Tarakudo to worry about as well. This is only the tip of the iceberg so I suggest waiting for the next chapter which should be along soon. Please review.


	2. Loot and Thunder

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 2: Loot and Thunder**

Down in the subterranean city, Ghoulwyrm was informing Drago of his new enemies. The slideshow projector was rather effective, even if it had to be plugged into one of Ghoulwyrm's bolts.

"And this is my personal favorite: what they did to a colony they could not reclaim. It was called Sy-Yong. Note the molten lava pool that makes up the aftermath," said Ghoulwyrm in a scholar-like voice.

"Hmm, major firepower," said Drago, "They're not bringing that ammo here, are they?"

"Only if we're stupid, I'm kinda a public enemy," said Ghoulwyrm, before pointing at a stone chest, "...and that's why I got the novelty mask from Section 13," he said evilly, "The NSC has a bad track record vs. magic."

"So why not put it on your face? Or better yet, my face?" asked Drago.

"Because there are 10 demons trapped inside and they could probably easily overpower either of us," said Ghoulwyrm, "This chest is like the one your father used to control the Ninja tribe of Shadowkhan. But with the Mask of Tarakudo in it, we can control all 9 tribes."

Drago smirked. "Nice, maybe these guys'll do a better job than my last lackeys," he said.

"Undeniably," said Ghoulwyrm, "For one thing, they have no free will and won't rise up against us. Second, they're completely dispensable and unlimited. Third, they can move about very easily."

"So...what do you want? I don't believe that people give out free armies," said Drago suspiciously.

"Well, I believe I can devise a way for you to get your family out of limbo in a way that circumvents the portals, so that the chi spells won't send that back," said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago grinned. "And how would you do that?"

Ghoulwyrm smirked. "As your enemy says, I do research. I found out how your dear father pulled his original escape. Shadows are everywhere after all."

"He used the Shadowkhan to escape?" asked Drago.

"He did like collecting various magical items," said Ghoulwyrm, "Of course, it took some trial and error to get out the first time and he got trapped as a statue afterwards, but you get the idea. We must also be in range of the demon door for each demon. But as long as nobody uses a chi spell before sunrise, they're out...permanent."

"I don't know," said Drago, "My dad was sprung without a door and he's back in the netherworld too."

"Different circumstances," said Ghoulwyrm, "Besides, wasn't that banishing spell meant for you?"

Drago glared. "Yes," he said before saying, "I know where the closest door is. We might as well make a start."

Captain Black and Jackie watched as the dropship slowly hovered down onto the landing pad at Section 13. "So, you said that these guys were from outer space?" asked Black.

"Yes, I know it sounds crazy, but they have very good proof they are," said Jackie.

The hatch lowered and an ominous shadow appeared...the suspense was spoiled when it was Morph that wandered down the ramp, followed by some of the gang.

"That's one of the aliens?" asked Black.

"Yes," said Jackie.

"I thought they'd be taller."

Captain Black was not disappointed when the next alien was Xander, in his splitter form.

"Whoa nelly!" he said.

"I did not expect that," said Jackie.

Matt wandered down behind them and said something to the alien who shimmered into the form of an African American.

"Ok, I'm convinced," said Captain Black, "So why bring them here?"

"Well, uh, isn't Section 13 supposed to keep aliens under watch?" asked Jackie.

"Like Area 51?" asked Jade.

"First off, I don't have the authority to discuss such highly classified information. Second, shouldn't you be in training?" asked Captain Black.

"I thought it was cause Jackie's uncle doesn't trust us fully?" said Morph till Matt put his hand over his mouth.

"These mutant blobs, they always say silly stuff," said Matt innocently.

Captain Black raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, Section 13 isn't meant to be an intergalactic motel, but I think we can put you somewhere."

"Cool, I got a few things. Is it ok if we bring them?" said Matt.

"You're gonna need to give a full description," said Black, "No illegal merchandise under my roof."

Matt nodded. "Fine; about 3 crates of various plasma, particle, ballistic and explosive weaponry," he said before seeing Black's face, "Hey, you asked."

"Er, the safety's on all that stuff, right?" asked Black.

"DNA encoded, only my crew can use em safely and most of them are just for show," said Matt as Xander walked back onto the ship and walked back, holding two crates, one in each hand with apparent ease

"Ok, as long as things are under control," said Black.

"We get coffee here, right?" asked Morph.

"Hide the coffee," muttered Matt in a serious voice.

"So, how many can I expect?" asked Black.

Matt counted on his fingers. "Lilo and Stitch are back home, just 4 more...and one half one," said Matt.

"Half one?" asked Black.

"Mhm, we got one who's a human /alien hybrid," said Matt, "Er, not through breeding or experimentation. It was a bit of an...accident. I HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!"

Draco, Contrinus, and Chip had wandered down. "Don't let him get started..." said Draco and whispered to Black, "And don't mention undead."

"Uh, stressful job?" asked Black.

"More than you can imagine," said Chip, "Say, where'd Matt go?"

Matt had wandered further into Section 13, looking for the canteen. One door looked hopeful and he peered into the darkened room. "Hello? Does anyone know where to get the food around here? All that's been left on the ship has been meatloaf."

Matt walked in and found himself inside a dojo. "Oops, wrong room," said Matt.

He turned to leave but found himself face to face with a very muscular man with spiky red hair. "You here to train?" he said.

"Uh, actually, I was looking for-"

"Let's get started. Assume position!"

"I beg your pardon?" said Matt, looking around for another door or a thin wall where he could make his own door. Seeing none he said, "Erm...put em up?"

Suddenly, the man jumped up into the air and shouted, "ANGRY CROW TAKES FLIGHT!"

"Angry crow takes what?" said Matt before the man literally landed on him. "Ow...my precious bones," he moaned.

"Hello? Matt?" The door opened and Jackie and Jade were there. "Ah, I see you have met Hak Fu," said Jackie.

"My world is full of pain," squeaked Matt.

Chloe wandered in behind Jackie and Jade. "Ok...what happened?" she said, putting her hand over her eyes.

"Apparently our martial arts trainer mistook Matt for a new recruit," said Jade.

"My apologies," said Hak Fu.

"Ok, madam...I'll have the cheese quiche, thank you," gibbered Matt, currently residing on the planet Concussion.

"Can't I take my eyes off you for one minute without you getting into trouble?" asked Chloe as she picked Matt up.

Just then, Matt's communicator beeped. Since Matt was too out of it to answer, Chloe did it for him. "Sir, er madam, I've intercepted some security footage that you may want to see," said WARDEN.

Chloe unclipped Matt's communicator and ran the footage. It showed Ghoulwyrm and Drago in a deserted Hollywood studio. "Great, it's those two again," she said.

"They are attacking a movie studio?" said Jackie.

"Not just any movie studio," said Jade, pointing at the sign, "That's Megagalactic Studios!"

Chloe said, "So? As long as it isn't Universal, I don't care."

Jade said, "That's where one of the demon doors are."

"Wait? Demon doors? As in where those Demon Sorcerers were banished through and they could get out from?" asked Chloe.

"It is where Tchang Zu the Thunder Demon's door is," said Hak Fu.

"Good thing Hollywood's not that far from San Fran," said Chloe.

"Which is why they probably hit that place first," said Jade.

"We'll need to get there fast though. We can take the dropship," said Chloe, before helping her brother up. "C'mon, bro, it's time to go chop Ghoulwyrm up...again."

Matt smiled aimlessly. "That sounds like fuuun."

Ooh, can I come with?" asked Jade.

"No, Jade, it's too dangerous," said Jackie.

"I don't see why not. I was 15 on my first mission," said Matt, his brain passing through sanity on its way elsewhere.

Chloe muttered, "...and you blew up a space station by accident too."

"Jade, do you really think you could handle two dragons?" said Jackie.

"No problem," said Jade, "I'll just go into the vault and grab the... Oh wait, the Talismans are in Demonville. This sucks."

"Your uncle's right, it'll be safer here," said Chloe.

"Aw, you guys get all the excitement," said Jade.

"Trust me, Jade, too much excitement's bad for you," said Chloe, "Look at Matt."

Matt was giggling aimlessly at the wall. Jade said, "Good point."

A few minutes later and the dropship was ready to leave. It was good that none of the kit had been taken off it yet. Jackie had come along but Uncle had apparently refused to come judging from how Jackie's phone call went. "It's perfectly safe. Why won't he come?" said Matt, happily back in the land of the sane.

"Apparently, Uncle doesn't trust your vehicle," said Jackie.

"What? This thing's totally reliable," said Matt, "Easily gets up to 2000 mph."

Jackie stared. "You're joking," he said numbly.

Matt laughed. "Yeah, of course..." he said and Jackie sighed.

"Phew. For a minute..." and was stopped as Matt carried on

"...it's actually 3000."

"Uh, maybe I can take a cab," said Jackie.

"Nonsense," said Matt, "This thing will get there much quicker. Better get in before we take off."

Jackie looked naturally worried as the dropship took off and began to move off as a sedate pace. "It's not that faaaaaaaarrrgh!" said Jackie as the land suddenly blurred and he was thrown back against the back of the ship for a second before the speed stabilized.

Matt peeled him off the back. "Ok...told you it was fast," he said happily.

"When we stop, can we have something to eat?" asked Jackie.

"You didn't have supper?" said Chloe.

"Yes, but I'm about to un-have it," said Jackie before his cheeks bulged.

A few minutes later and the gang were at the studio. "Ok, should be simple: we go in, blast Ghoulwyrm into a greasy smear, drop-kick this Drago guy, and be home for breakfast," said Matt.

"Uh, what about security?" asked Jackie, "Won't someone notice us all being here?"

Matt shrugged. "Not if we're fast, plus WARDEN's jammed the local radios," said Matt.

"Yes, I don't know what Drago and Ghoulwyrm want here, but it can't be good," said Chloe.

"So we kick both evil dragons' butt." The group turned to see Jade.

"Jade? What are you doing here? How did you get here?" asked Jackie.

Matt clapped. "Brilliant, I haven't seen an infiltration like that in years..." he said before seeing everyone's glares, "I mean...bad Jade?"

"Erm, I kinda stowed away inside the baggage compartment," said Jade, "By the way, it's really icky in there now."

"Fine, someone pass her a blaster and let's get on with it," said Techo and was nearly deafened as everyone yelled "NO BLASTER!"

"So, which studio's Megagalactic?" asked Matt.

"Uh, probably the one with the samurais guarding the gate," said Jade, pointing. Matt looked to see a pair of samurai with black armor and red eyes standing in front of the gate to a studio.

"Shadowkhan? But they can only be summoned by..." Jackie trailed off and said, "Using the Mask of Tarakudo. Oh."

"So? Let's blast em," said Matt, pulling out two pulse pistols and firing at the Shadowkhan.

The Shadowkhan had barely any time to look before they were hit and reduced to fragments of shadows. "Wow, that was easy," said Jade.

Techo was about to agree till he looked up to see several dozen more Shadowkhan on the surrounding roofs. "Erm...maybe not..." he said, pointing up.

Three Shadowkhan leapt off the roofs, drawing their shadow swords as they fell towards the group. Matt tossed a plasma ball at one who cut it in half with its blade and he barely got his ion blade out in time to block the cut. Surprising to Matt, the ion blade didn't go straight through the sword. "Guess shadow magic's stronger than I thought," said Matt. The Shadowkhan aimed a cut at Matt's head. If Matt had not had draconic DNA, he would not have even come close to dodging. "Ok, these guys are definitely not lightweights," said Matt.

"Why couldn't it be the more basic kind?" said Jackie.

"WHO CARES?" yelled Techo, backing away from another Shadowkhan, barely keeping out of cutting range.

"Please tell me you guys have some spell that can deal with these guys," said Chloe.

"Jackie can't cast magic," said Jade.

Matt tossed a plasma ball into another Shadowkhan. "These guys are really annoying me," he said, locking blades with a Shadowkhan before kicking him.

"They're just a distraction," said Jackie, "They're here to keep us occupied while Drago and Ghoulwyrm do whatever they're going to do with the demon portal."

"Chloe? Would you be so kind as to go blow Ghoulwyrm up please?" said Matt. Chloe nodded, blasting her Shadowkhan opponent before heading for the Megagalactic studio building.

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm was setting up the ritual. He had several Shadowkhan holding candles with black flames and dark incense burners. In front of Ghoulwyrm was the movie prop door that stood where Tchang Zu's portal was and both it and the floor before him were covered with runes.

Drago was standing to the side, leaning against the wall. "This had better work." he said.

"I am being very thorough," said Ghoulwyrm, "I've pinpointed my research, triplechecked for possible flaws, and have run a brief test. The Shadowkhan can indeed travel to the Demon Realm and brought back a rock. But a demon will be more difficult to bring through than a rock."

"Great, just get it done. Knowing Chan, he'll be here any second," said Drago.

"Possible, but they'll never be in time to cast a counterspell. Now if you please, this requires absolute focus." Ghoulwyrm began chanting in a dark language that a few Chinese words mixed in.

The Shadowkhan holding the candles melted into shadows and the shadows headed for the fake door before hitting an invisible object and melting into it. Drago held his breath with anticipation for several seconds. Suddenly, a large black swirl of darkness appeared in front of the fake door. It quickly formed into a solid oval. Then something came out of the shadowy portal. It was a large demon with blue reptilian skin wearing black armor with yellow lightning bolt designs on it.

Tchang Zu didn't seem pleased to have been dragged along to who knows where by Shadowkhan and was ready to blast the nearest person until he realized where he was. "The human world? This is impossible. The old man sealed the door," he said, looking around.

"Hey Uncle Tchang, welcome to Earth," said Drago.

Tchang Zu glared at him and said, "Shendu's mongrel son, I might have expected you'd worm your way back here." Then he looked at Ghoulwyrm and said, "And what is this?"

"I am a creature of darkness, the one who allowed an egress from your eternal prison," said Ghoulwyrm, bowing his head respectfully.

"It is pleasant to see a creature who knows its place," said Tchang Zu.

Watching from above, Chloe swore to herself. "Now that is BIG!" she muttered, before looking down at her rifle, shaking her head and switching the ammo to high explosives.

"How was it that you were able to free me?" asked Tchang Zu.

"Through the power of these Shadowkhan, which are yours to command," said Ghoulwyrm. Tchang Zu glanced at the Samurai Khan which kowtowed before him.

Chloe was taking a look at the runes and at the demon more closely with her rifle scope. "Guys, we have a family-sized problem," she muttered into her comm.

Ghoulwyrm said in a warning tone, "The spell that released you will not be fully complete until dawn, until then the door can still reclaim you."

"Then this time, I shall not make any mistakes," said Tchang Zu, "If I lay eyes on Jackie Chan or his uncle, they shall feel the wrath of my storm." Electricity crackled all over his body, lighting up the room.

Drago shielded his eyes for a second before seeing Chloe up on the catwalk. "YOU!" he yelled, remembering her from Section 13 and threw a fireball in her direction.

"Uh oh," said Chloe before she leaned back to avoid the fireball. Unfortunately, it also put her off her balance. She flailed wildly before falling off the catwalk. She was able to grab the bottom of with one hand and hung precariously.

Tchang Zu however was more or less at eye level and grabbed her. "Who?" he began and sniffed "...or WHAT is this?" he said. Chloe stuck her tongue out at the demon.

"A large pain in the neck that you would do well to dispose of," said Ghoulwyrm.

"That will be no problem at all," said Tchang Zu and a huge amount of electricity coursed through the arm holding Chloe. Chloe surprised him by being unharmed.

To add insult, she yawned and said, "Ok, still waiting for the pain."

"What kind of magic is this?" demanded Tchang Zu.

Chloe said in a sing-song voice, "I'm not telling," before firing an explosive round into Tchang's face. Unfortunately for Ghoulwyrm, it bounced off and hit him. However, it was enough for Tchang Zu to drop Chloe. As soon as she landed, the Samurai Khan drew their shadow swords and charged her.

Chloe dodged the first slash and instinctively used her rifle to block the second, resulting in it being sliced in half. She changed her hands to dragon form to slash the Shadowkhan into nothingness. "Still hiring jokes as minions, wormy?" she taunted.

"Then I guess you're the punch line," said Drago before running over and punching her in the face.

Chloe fell back and was knocked over again as Tchang caused an explosion behind her using a lightning bolt. "This one has spirit," he said, partially impressed.

"You have no idea," said Ghoulwyrm.

Then a line of Shadowkhan formed and charged Chloe. Chloe responded with a lightning bolt that went through all of them, blasting them to wisps. "Lightning never strikes the same place twice, because that place doesn't exist after the strike," she said.

More Khan appeared, more than Chloe would be able to handle. She readied a lightning ball in each hand when Tchang said, "Halt." The khan obeyed instantly, though their stance said they would defend themselves with pleasure.

"Uh, why did you tell them to stop?" asked Ghoulwyrm.

"My brother Shendu is a two-faced worm, but he does provide useful ideas," said Tchang Zu, "I believe I shall take a page out of his book and have an apprentice of my own. She would do just fine."

"Kiss my ass, demon features," said Chloe.

"I think it would be a great mistake to pick her," said Ghoulwyrm, "She is headstrong, short-tempered, and has little qualms about causing pain to others."

"Very fine qualities for a demon's apprentice," said Tchang Zu, "Mortal, I offer you the opportunity to rise above your kind and to wield power beyond fathoming. Join me and reap heavy rewards."

"I'm already rich, so I repeat my previous comment of 'kiss my ass'," said Chloe, giving Chang the finger.

"Hmm, perhaps a sample will change your mind," said Tchang as purple lightning started crackling around his fingertips.

Matt blasted the last Shadowkhan down and tried to get through to Chloe again. The last he'd heard had been her saying there 'was a big problem'. "No time for the door," he said, igniting a plasma ball between his hands and throwing it overarm into the doors.

The doors were blown apart the explosion. "I hope Larry's got good enough insurance," said Jade.

"Jade, stay here," said Jackie as he and the mercs went inside.

"You know she won't listen...right?" said Matt, igniting another plasma orb to act as a light. "Chloe? C'mon...you there?" he called before a flash of lightning illuminated the demons, Ghoulwyrm, and the dozen or so Samurai Khan.

"I'm sorry, I think we're in the wrong place. This isn't Madonna's house," said Techo.

"Jackie Chan," snarled Tchang Zu, "I've been waiting a long time to do this." A lightning bolt formed in his hand before he threw it at him.

The group scattered just in time. "THAT'S A DEMON? You never mentioned they were the size of a ghost mech!" yelled Matt, peering out from behind the boxes he'd taken cover behind.

"What's a ghost mech?" asked Jackie before ducking under another lightning bolt. "Never mind, find something that insulates electricity."

"I'm sorry, we left the rubber at home!" screamed Techo, dodging another blast.

Matt tossed a plasma blast at Tchang, only for it to bounce off and hit Ghoulwyrm. "Oh, come on!" yelled the dracolich.

"These maggots shall fry by my power," said Tchang Zu as he continued hurling lightning bolts.

"Can't let him have all the fun," said Ghoulwyrm as the lightning rods on his back charged up and began releasing purple electricity.

"CHLOE, GET YOUR BUTT OUT HERE!" yelled Matt, putting some dragon roar behind it. There was a rather long pause after that. " Uh, Chloe? We could use some help here!" called Matt.

Tchang Zu laughed and said, "Chloe will no longer heed your calls."

"What have you done to her?" demanded Matt.

"Let us say that I redirected her polarity," said Tchang Zu.

Matt's eyes glowed red for a second. "If she's hurt, demon or not, I'll tear out your spine and floss with it," he snarled.

"Actually, dear brother, I've never felt better," said a female voice. Matt glanced towards the door to see a female silhouette standing there.

"Chloe, what took you?" asked Matt. He probably should have noted the glowing red eyes and the echoing voice, but that wasn't uncommon for Chloe.

"Oh, nothing much, let me show you," she said and sent a lightning bolt into Matt, which he just blocked in time.

"What the hell?" he said, backing up and pulling his ion blade out. "Silvia? Play nice," he said.

"No, not quite," said Chloe as she stepped forward. The light revealed that not only was her eyes were red, but her skin was covered in blue scales, her teeth and nails have sharpened into fangs and claws, and she had spines growing from her head.

"Oh my lord," said Matt, backing up further. "Now then, you don't really want to flash fry me," he said, putting his hands behind his back and checking his wrist-comp's storage buffer. It had to be there...

"What's the matter, Matt? Doesn't blue look good on me?" said Chloe before a ball of lightning appeared in her hand. "I tell you, I thought my lightning powers were powerful before, but this is on a completely new scale."

"Look out! It's Van Helsing!" said Matt, pointing.

Chloe instinctively looked before looking back to see a significant lack of Matt. "I can't believe I fell for that. OH BROTHER!" she called walking down the only avenue Matt could have gone. "Oh Maaaatt... don't you wanna play some lightning tag?" said Chloe.

Matt landed on her back and jumped back off, knocking her forward before legging it. "Tag, you're it!" he called cheekily.

As Matt ran, he muttered to himself, "She's not really trying to kill me. Thunderhead must have put some of himself into her and made her nasty. But her lightning power has ganged a major boost, so I better watch my- YEOW!" Matt leapt high into the air as a lightning bolt hit him straight on the butt.

Matt turned on reflex and fired a blast from his plasma magnum. Luckily he had finally fixed the reflex dampener but he realized he'd just fired at his sister. "Ah! Chloe, oh no, I didn't know it was you, I didn't mean to..." His voice trailed off when the smoke revealed a perfectly-fine demon Chloe. "Uh, shouldn't you at least be in a crater?" asked Matt.

Chloe glared, her eyes glowing redder. "Shouldn't you be DEAD?" she yelled before tossing another bolt at him.

"Well, you keep blasting me, so I got kinda natural insulation now," said Matt, dodging the bolt.

"Fair point," said Chloe, "Of course, I wasn't charged up with thunder demon power before." A very large ball of electricity appeared in her hands.

Matt winced as the energy ball shot at him before he heard a voice say, "Hi Matt." Matt looked in time to see the lightning ball hit Morph, who'd wandered into its path. Both demoness and merc watched as Morph went flying. "Nice shot," said Matt.

"Thanks, wanna see it again?" said Chloe as she started charging up again.

"No thanks," said Matt, finally finding the device he'd wanted. The device was a modification of the riot foam used by NSC forces. It would set like concrete a second after emerging and stay like it for hours, keeping its victim alive even if they were covered. It exploded all over Chloe, setting like rock in seconds. "Nothing personal, sis," said Matt, "We'll get you out of there once we get the demon influence out of you."

Matt however had never taken into account that riot foam was not designed for demons. Matt turned and stopped as he heard cracking. "Oh smeg," he said, turning in time for Chloe to break out.

"Would you like another shot?" she said.

However, a yellow lightning bolt and an indigo lightning bolt hit the ground in front of Chloe. Matt glanced over his shoulder to see Draco carrying Chip and Uncle over. "I should have expected as much," said Matt.

"Aiya! Thunder Demon is free," said Uncle and slapped Matt, "You make very bad demon hunter."

"Um, my sister?" said Matt, pointing at Chloe.

"Yeah, I thought something was amiss," said Draco, "Mostly that she has blue scales instead of yellow."

Chloe got up unsteadily and glared at Uncle. "Chi wizard," she said angrily and readied an electrical bolt.

"Erm...Mr. Chan..." said Matt.

Uncle watched the lightning bolt coming and sidestepped it seconds before it could have hit it. "Chloe has been infected with Tchang Zu's chi," said Uncle, "We must remove it to return her to normal."

"Great, get cracking," said Matt.

"I cannot remove it," said Uncle.

"What? Why not?"

"Chi-o-matic back at shop, Uncle did not know it would be needed."

Matt stared. "Oh for heaven's sake..." he said.

"Um, talk later?" said Chip before ducking under another lightning blast from. But the next one hit him, overloading his systems and causing him to go into stasis mode.

Matt looked at Chip. "Sorry, dude," he said, picking Chip up and belting the charging Chloe round the head with him, knocking her senseless. "Problem solved. There'll be problems later, but for now, solved," said Matt, before hearing Ghoulwyrm's voice come out his sister's wristcomp.

"The spell that released you will not be fully complete until dawn, until then the door can still reclaim you," said Ghoulwyrm's voice.

Matt looked at Uncle. "Tell me you brought the spell to make the door do the claiming," he said desperately.

Drago landed on the box behind them. "Nobody's casting anything, kid."

"You gotta be kidding me," said Matt. Matt looked up at Drago. "You know, you've caught me on a really bad night. Can't we skip to where I blast you?" he said.

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing," said Drago as fire materialized in his hand, "Just hand over my...cousin and I may give you half the blasting I want to do."

"What cou...Oh, I know you didn't refer to who I thought you did, you little gecko," said Matt.

"Frankly, I don't like the arrangement any better than you," said Drago, "But Uncle Tchang would probably barbeque me if I don't bring back his apprentice. So are we going to do this the easy way or the hot way?"

Matt looked up. "How about the third way?" he said and threw a plasma blast into the roof over Drago, burying him under rubble. "Bringing down the house," said Matt to Uncle with a smirk.

"Pubescent dragon not important," said Uncle, "Banishing Tchang Zu is. If we do not do it before sunrise, he will remain in our world."

"Point taken. Lead the way, boss man," said Matt.

"We better find Jackie and the others," said Draco, "I'm pretty sure Tchang Zu wouldn't have been lenient with them."

"Should be easy, just follow the screams," said Matt.

"I shoulda stayed in bed, this morning!" screamed Techo, dodging a Shadowkhan before blasting it. Tchang Zu, luckily for Techo, was focused on Jackie. The mercs were trying to help but the demon didn't even feel the blast sent his way.

"Bad day! Bad day! Bad day!" shouted Jackie as he ran from Tchang Zu's continuous lightning blasts.

"Your luck shall not hold out forever," said Tchang Zu as he threw another lightning bolt.

Lao ducked behind a container and looked up to see a water tower. "Hmm...should be an interesting reaction," he said, shooting a hole in the side as the Thunder Demon went by. A spout of water came out of the water tower and fell down on Tchang Zu. The moment it touched him, electrical sparks started flying around his body. He roared with pain as his own electricity was being turned back on him.

"I vote we run before Sparky pulls himself together," said Techo.

"But we can't just let him stay," said Jackie.

"We'll come back and deal with him," said Chris, "We need time to recuperate."

"...and get bigger weapons...like a nuclear warhead for preference," gibbered Techo. The two mercs turned and almost ran over Uncle who whacked them.

"First off, magic must defeat magic. Second, we must send the Thunder Demon back through his portal before dawn or he will remain in our world," snapped the elderly Chinese man.

Chris and Techo stared. Matt came into view behind him. "I don't think we have a counter-argument," he said. A roar got their attention. The Thunder Demon appeared to have gotten over his 'shower'.

"Ok, I still think a temporary retreat so we can organize a..." Then Chris noticed what Matt was carrying. "Is that Chloe?"

"Mostly," said Matt, leaning Chloe against the wall.

Techo wandered round to see Chip. "Is that a face print in Chip's side?" he said.

"Erm, yes, it is, uh, let's not bring it up when he comes back online," said Matt.

"Did his system crash?" asked Jade.

"No, he just got overloaded and- Wait, what are you doing here?"

"I got bored," said Jade.

"Does the word 'warzone' mean anything to you?" said Techo in a 'close to snapping' voice.

Just then, Chloe's body began to stir. "Uh oh, she's waking up," said Draco.

"Maybe I should hit her with Chip again," said Matt.

Chloe's eyes opened and seemed a bit unfocussed (well, she had been hit in the face by a cyborg, literally, that kind of thing unfocussed your brain). "Uh...where...MASTER...THEY ARE...oooph," she screamed till Chris and Matt jumped on her and tied a helmet over her face.

"Uh, I should mention this now than later," said Matt, "Her makeover's supercharged her lightning powers so be very careful around her."

Techo poked her. "I don't see any Gnnnnnzzzt!" he said before falling sideways, smoking gently.

Chloe's struggles began to get more violent. "Chloe, hold still, this is for your own good," said Matt.

"Not to mention ours," said Chris.

"Hit her with Chip again!" said Techo.

Just then, a lightning bolt struck nearby and blasted everyone in different directions. Tchang Zu walked over and said, "There is no shelter from this storm."

"Erm, if anyone has a plan, I'm happy to hear it...anyone?" said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm floated up behind Tchang Zu. "Well done, Lord of Lightning. You've have these fools completely under your thumb."

"Good lord, why don't you lick his feet while you're at it, you crawler?" yelled Matt.

Ghoulwyrm growled at Matt and said, "I am so tempted to just tear your neck open right now."

"I'd love to see you try. Maybe you'll succeed this time?" taunted Matt.

Ghoulwyrm's lightning rods began to charge up before Tchang Zu said, "Enough. We shall dispose of these meddlers once and for all."

"Oh, on a short leash are we, Ghouly? Strict boss?" carried on Matt.

Jackie muttered, "What is he doing?"

Techo said, "Rule one, angry villains make mistakes."

Ghoulwyrm growled and purple embers started flickering in his mouth. "You should watch your tongue before someone removes it," he growled.

"Drop dead...oh, too late," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm's eyes started burning purple and he said, "I'm warning you. You're getting me too angry for your own safety."

Matt grinned and muttered, "Get ready for a good distraction," before saying "Man, you're almost as ugly as when you were Zyvar."

Ghoulwrym's eyes widened as realization hit him. Then his eyes became purple balls of flames. "YOU! YOU'RE THE BASTARD THAT KILLED ME!" shrieked Ghoulwyrm.

"Bingo, what have we got for the winner?" said Matt and threw a plasma ball in Ghoulwyrm's face, knocking him off Tchang's shoulder.

Ghoulwryrm roared loudly and angrily as purple flames started popping up all over his body. "Uh, you think you might have pushed him too far?" asked Draco.

"Not really...I'm not closest," said Matt.

Draco stopped, then shared Matt's evil grin. "Oh, this'll be good."

Suddenly, Ghoulwyrm seemed to explode into purple flames. When the brief flash of light faded, it revealed that Ghoulwyrm had transformed into a demonic werewolf like creature with bat wings, ears, snout, and dragon features covered in purple flames.

Tchang seemed impressed. "It seems this minion is not so useless after ARRGH! Get off!" he said as feral Ghoulwyrm bit him.

"Well, that should keep them busy long enough for us to..." Matt was thrown back by a bolt of lightning from Chloe.

"Nice trick," said Chloe, "But you just made more trouble for yourself." Matt backed up from Chloe as Tchang fought to try and get Ghoulwyrm off him, not realizing the creature only wanted him out the way.

"Uh, Chloe, you don't really want to fight, do you? And you couldn't really be happy with what Tchang's done with your skin, right?" asked Matt.

"What? Giving me power? Giving me the chance to rule once he takes this world?" she said.

Matt gulped. "Well...you look freaky. Nobody'll take you serious and you can never take a shower again."

"Oh, I think I'll be taken serious," said Chloe as a lightning bolt appeared in her hand, "But I'll have to think about the shower part."

"Oh come on, sis. You're gonna let some essence of demon tell you what to do?" said Matt and gulped as he backed up against a wall.

Chloe considered this for a moment and said, "Well, it's not so much that it's telling me what to do, but giving me pointers."

"What? Wait a minute, you are Silvia, aren't you?" said Matt.

"Not quite," said Chloe, "The mind is Chloe, but the demon chi has brought out her evil. But it's working good so far for me."

"So...you're gonna kill me?" said Matt, playing a desperate trump card. Silvia had never been able to take him out proper, hopefully it would be the same here. And if it didn't work, he could see Uncle preparing something behind Chloe.

Chloe hesitated for a minute and said, "Well..."

Just then Tchang Zu yelled, "Apprentice! Help with this savage mongrel!"

Chloe turned away before seeing Ghoulwyrm trying to get past Tchang to get to Matt. "Master, just let him pass," said Chloe, "His rage is meant for the mortals."

"You realize he'll want you too, sis?" said Matt.

Chloe stopped. "Oh smeg," she muttered as Ghoulwyrm's gaze went between the two. He may have been feral, but even through Chloe's Chi makeover he could spot her. Ghoulwyrm roared loudly and released a torrent of flame towards them.

The two scattered and Matt was knocked back as Ghoulwyrm decided on him...and stopped, a green glow around him. Matt glanced back at Uncle who was chanting, "Yu Mo Gwai Gui Fai Di Zao, Yu Mo Gwai Gui Fai Di Zao..." The green glow seemed to intensify around Ghoulwyrm as the purple flames started to diminish. A second later, Ghoulwyrm, in his normal form was spat out of the green glow...at a considerable speed judging from the crash he made as he hit the wall.

"...Ow...I hate chi magic," he said weakly.

"Nice spell," said Matt.

"Uncle has been looking for opportunity to try rampage-calming spell," said Uncle.

Chloe got back up and pulled out her ion blade, on reflex. "You won't get another chance...HEY!" she said as Matt blocked it with his own.

"Do the banishing on Tchang. I'll have a word with my sister," said Matt.

"Ai ya! Uncle needs more time to prepare spell!" said Uncle.

"Just do it, please," said Matt, dodging a slash from his sister. "Chloe, I don't want to hurt you and you don't really want to hurt me," he said, trying to reason with her.

"Maybe not kill you," said Chloe, "But blasting's always fun."

Matt gulped then sighed. If this didn't work, he'd join Ghoulwyrm in the wall. He put his ion blade away and simply stood there. "Ok...off you go..." he said, not even bothering to raise a plasma shield.

Chloe seemed to hesitate for a minute before a voice said, "Don't mind if I do." Suddenly, a fireball hit Matt and threw him backwards. Matt went flying before hitting the wall with a crack and sliding down it.

Chloe turned angrily, her eyes blazing. "You fool!" she said.

"What? You weren't going to do anything so I just did it for you," said Drago as he jumped from the building roof he was on to the ground.

Chloe glared angrily. "Allow me to do it anyway," she said and blasted Drago at full power.

Drago was thrown backwards and landed at Tchang Zu's feet. "Uh, hey uncle," said Drago. Tchang Zu glared down at his nephew before back up at his apprentice who was kneeling down at her blood relation.

"Forget your mortal ties, apprentice," said Tchang Zu, "You have a grander destiny ahead."

Chloe was shaking her brother. "Wake up, you stupid fool," she said, on the verge of tears.

Tchang Zu studied the two of them for a minute and said, "Should he expire, it would distraught you too much and possibly turn you against me. Very well." He held a hand over Matt and a small bolt of lightning came out and entered Matt. Matt's body twitched for a minute before he started breathing normally.

"You can do that?" asked Chloe.

"Electricity is life," said Chang Tzu, "It can be used to give and take. But now we must retire for the moment. I shall conjure a large army of Shadowkhan so I may rule this land again."

Matt grabbed her foot as she turned to go. "I am not waiting another three years to find you again," he said, getting up unsteadily.

"Get your own life," said Chloe before giving him a slight zap. Ghoulwyrm had pried himself out of the wall and was floating back to the studio after Tchang Zu.

Matt staggered back, a blinding headache in his head. "Tchang...for a demon...you're really dumb...Nobody...messes...with my sister's...head…" he said.

"She is no longer your concern, mortal. Be thankful I have given you the opportunity to live on your sister's behalf. If you wish to continue living, you will leave now," said the Thunder Demon before going inside.

Matt sent a blast into the wall, demolishing it. "I didn't say you could leave," he said in a colder voice.

"Matt, calm down," said Draco, "We will return Chloe to normal as soon as we have the Chi-o-matic."

Just then, a cab stopped in front of the studio and Tohru got out. "Sensei, I have brought the spell ingredients and the Chi-o-matic," he said.

Matt winced before glaring at Draco before back at Tchang. He needed to stall the demon a minute more or he could kiss Chloe goodbye.

"Excellent, Tohru," said Uncle, "We will need the Chi-o-matic to remove the demon chi from Chloe."

"Also, I did some research," said Tohru, "I believe that Tchang Zu escaped the demon realm in a similar way to how Shendu escaped before he was turned to stone. A slight variation on the banishing spell will be needed to send him back, but we would need to know which Shadowkhan brought him here." One said Shadowkhan was blasted back into a wall by Chris's blaster, slumping down before vanishing. "Never mind," said Tohru.

"Uh, what kind of variation would the spell need?" asked Jackie.

"Not too much," said Tohru, "but the key ingredient is Japanese cherry blossoms and I have not been able to find any. I do not know where to find any at this time of night."

"Oh, I've got something like that," said Draco. He extended an extra arm and held up a bag of pink powder. The others gave him an odd look. "What? It's used to make to make tea."

"Hmm, that could work," said Tohru.

"Well, we better do something," said Jackie, looking at his watch, "It is an hour until sunrise. Jade, stay here."

"Oh..." moaned Jade.

The gang and the Khan were going at it big time, the marines firing at any Khan in range. Xander was the only one not having too much trouble. The Shadowkhan may have been demonic but they knew trouble when it electrocuted and then hit them with what felt like the moon.

One noticeable incident occurred when Chris ended up grabbing the arm of one to throw him into a wall and its gauntlet came off. "Ha! Who's the ninja master now?" said Chris. The gauntlet wasn't quite willing to leave for a new master and poked Chris in the eyes with two fingers. "Ouch...dammit...where'd it go?" he said, seeing the glove scuttling away across the battlefield. "Dammit...and I thought the spiderbots were bad," he said.

Chris dove for the gauntlet and grabbed it again. "You're not going anywhere this time," said Chris. The gauntlet tried to poke Chris in the eyes again, but Chris held up his other hand to block it. "Ha!" said Chris before the gauntlet started slapping his face.

Jackie came into view to see this. "What are you doing?" he asked and jumped as the gauntlet lunged at him next.

Jackie tried to pull the glove off his face, with very little success. Uncle walked over to him and squeezed the sides of the glove, causing it to go limp. "Quit playing around," said Uncle as he took the glove and walked away.

Chris wandered over. "How?..." he said weakly.

"Um, pressure points?" said Jackie.

"But it's a glove," said Chris.

"Do not question Uncle!" snapped Uncle.

"Yes sir," whimpered Chris. Uncle's temper reminded him of his mercenary trainer the time someone let a spiderbot loose in his room.

"Ok, now all we have to do is get to Tchang Zu through all these..." Jackie's voice fell when several new Samurai Khan appeared. "Shadowkhan."

Chris looked at the Khan. "Aw, man...I told Matt to buy the extended clips."

Techo said simply, "Right, we're dead, can I have time off now?"

Tohru however began chanting "Nukeru, He Men Jaaku." over and over. The Shadowkhan seemed to turn to white steam and fade away.

"Now that...that's cool," said Chris.

"Quickly," said Uncle, "we must find demon sorcerer and apprentice before portal becomes sealed and demon chi bonds to Chloe permanently."

There was an explosion not too far away. "Oh, why don't we find Lynch? He has a habit of finding things like ravenous demons or killer chainsaw necromancers," said Techo.

"Good idea," said Jackie, "I think the studio has enough damage to deal with already."

Techo had walked around the side of the studio and had found that Matt's plasma ball had not stopped at one wall, going into the studio parking lot and blowing a white Mercedes apart. "Yeah, this place's insurance ratings are going to go through the roof," said Techo.

A second later, Matt came out the hole, on the front of a lightning bolt. He landed, rolled and was back on his feet in one move, in dragon form. "I am NOT IN A GOOD MOOD!" he yelled before seeing the others, "Oh, Hi...found the walking power plant."

"Lead way, Uncle will prepare chi spell," said Uncle as she started pouring some green liquid into another flask.

"In there...being weird..." said Matt.

"What do you mean?" asked Draco.

"Well, he's set things up like a court. And I don't mean like for a trial, but like a royal court," said Matt.

Chris said, "Guess he wants to move in. Let's go evict him."

Matt grinned evilly. "Good. Who brought the nuke? OW!"

"Magic must defeat magic," said Uncle.

"Ok, ok, fine," said Matt, "How is this spell supposed to work anyway?"

"When Uncle has finished making the basic formula," said Uncle, "Now someone must play castanets near Tchang Zu."

"Castanets? I thought this guy was Chinese," said Chris.

There was a humming behind them and the gang turned to see Chip waking up, his eye optic spinning. "WOWWHATTARUSH!" he said.

Draco said, "Erm...Chip? Are you ok?"

Chip spun to look at him, "IFEELFINENEVERFELTTHISBETTER!"

"Ai ya! One-eyed squid has become possessed by dark forces!" cried Uncle.

"Hold your horses," said Techo, "I think he's just overcharged. It's pretty much like a sugar rush."

"WOOHOO!" yelled Chip before seeing his reflection. "Ok...why am I dented?" he said, struggling to keep his speech at normal speed.

"Er, that's not a problem right now..." said Matt hesitatingly.

"ITWASBECAUSEOFHIMWASN'TIT?" said Chip, going back into hyperspeed.

At the same time, Matt spotted Drago stagger into view, having gotten over his blast from Chloe. "No...he did it," said Matt innocently, pointing at Drago.

"OOHI'MGONNAHAVETOPAYHIMBACKFORTHAT!" said Chip before going at Drago so fast he looked like a metallic dust devil.

The group watched as Drago barely had time to know what hit him. "That was mean," said Jackie.

Matt replied, "But worth it..." with a happy grin.

"Whoa, he was as fast as someone with the Rabbit Talisman," said Jade.

"Yes, I know- BWAH! Jade, I told you to stay out," said Jackie.

"She's definitely merc material. We never listen to the boss either," said Techo.

Then Chip rushed back and said, "THATWASFUNWHATELSECANWEDO?"

"Erm...stay here?" tried Matt.

"You want to keep sister from becoming demon, yes?" said Uncle, "THEN YOU GO IN THERE AND OCCUPY SHADOWKHAN SO UNCLE CAN CAST CHI SPEEELL!"

Matt grabbed Chip and yelled, "MORE NINJA ROBOT DENTERS IN THERE! KILL!"

"!" yelled Chip before zipping inside so fast there was a slight pop in the air from the displaced air.

"You think we're using too much force here?" asked Chris.

"You do remember the Doom Weapons, right?" said Matt sweetly.

Chris paled and yelled, "CHARGE!"

Inside, Tchang Zu was sitting on a throne made of various movie props. Chloe was kneeling on one knee in front of him. "Apprentice, you have proven very useful to me," said Tchang Zu, "You will become a favored member of my court. However, there is one slight alteration that must be made." He pointed his finger and blue electricity surrounded Chloe.

Her armor and clothing disassembled itself. Fortunately, no one could see her total form. The enchanted electricity altered the armor and reattached itself to Chloe. When the light faded, Chloe was wearing a feminine version of Tchang Zu's armor. "Now, rise up, my daughter," said the Thunder Demon.

Matt had been first through the hole in time to see this. "Nnn…" he said, numbly. Matt's eyes slowly went red. "I warned him. No one can say I didn't warned him," said Matt, icily, an orb of black plasma forming in his hand. "Oh, TCHAAAANG...HERE'S A HOUSE-WARMING GIFT!" he yelled and threw the orb at Tchang. Tchang Zu saw it coming and erected a shield of electricity in front of him. The orb hit it and exploded violently. It still was enough to knock Tchang over.

The orb had been augmented with all the anger and fury that had been in Matt's head. Two Shadowkhan tried to stop Matt, a mistake given what he did to them Matt's claws quickly tore their heads open and went down all the way to where their pelvis would be. Fortunately they were made of shadow and just dissipated, otherwise there would been a very nasty mess.

"I'm baaaack," said 'Matt' in an amused tone, "Where has Lynch brought us? He gets into all the best violence," apparently un-worried when Shadowkhan surrounded him.

Ghoulwyrm peered in. "Oh great. With luck, Draconus'll kill the Chans too," he said, looking at Matt...or rather Draconus.

"This could be trouble," said Chris. Just then, Chloe jumped from where she was and landed in front of Chris. "Oh, hey Chloe, uh, nice new armor?" he said.

Chloe 'answered' by blasting Chris in the chest. "You won't cast anything, chi wizard," she said to Uncle.

Then Chip got in front of her and said, "YOU''!" He raised his six arms up in a boxing form.

Chloe blinked. She may have been nearly full demon at that moment but Chip's reaction had even made Draconus and the Shadowkhan pause. "Er, I don't, uh, I can't understand, um... what?" she said.

"TOOSLOW!" yelled Chip before grabbing her arm and slamming on the ground several times.

Normally this would have been it, but Chloe wasn't exactly human at the moment, well, as human as she had been before the demon chi. She got up a little unsteadily. "Little tin…" she muttered.

"YOUBETTERQUITWHILEYOU'REAHEADCAUSEWE'!" said Chip.

Chloe glared and, when she was confident she had full attentions, effortlessly sliced through a steel girder with her claws.

"Er, Uncle, how soon can you use the chi-o-matic?" asked Jackie.

"Demon chi cannot be removed until demon sorcerer is removed," said Uncle, "Have patience."

Draconus however was strolling towards Tchang. "You know, I know what it's like to deal with do-gooders. Hell, I live with one. But I share his thought that you don't mess with family. So now I'm going to tear your head off, ok?" he said conversationally, blasting Khan without even thinking.

"You presume much if you think you can slay me," said Tchang Zu.

"I nearly got through your shield...and I wasn't even firing that. Mine...are worse," said Draconus, igniting a much larger void plasma orb.

"Uh, Uncle, you think you can spare enough time for that rampage-calming spell?" asked Draco.

Both Tchang and Draconus fired at the same time, their blasts meeting with a huge explosion. "Oooh...you can fight," taunted Draconus.

"It's been a long time since I've had a proper opponent," said Tchang Zu as a lightning bolt appeared in both hands.

"And I've been itching to get some blood on my hands," said Draconus, pulling out Matt's ion staff.

The two of them charged at each other, lightning bolt colliding with the blade on Matt's ion staff.

Techo said, "I dunno who to root for," as the two fought. Draconus was taking advantage of Tchang's size to keep under his feet...literally.

Then Uncle poured some of the potion on a pair of castanets. "There, now someone must play these," said Uncle.

"LETMEDOITIKNOWHOWTOPLAY!" said Chip before swiping the castanets.

Uncle stared, "Metal squid needs sleep potion."

Matt and Tchang Zu were fighting when a voice called, "Amgios!" They both looked up to see Chip on a beam, dressed as a flamenco dancer. "El trueno puntos aquí!" He then pulled out the enchanted castanets and started playing them, accompanied with matched dancing.

"What is he doing?" asked Chris.

"If I had to guess, the Spanish Dance from the Nutcracker Suite," said Jackie.

Tchang roared angrily. "CASTANETS?" he yelled and readied a thunderbolt.

Draconus stared and said, "I know he's dancing rubbishly but that's extreme criticism."

Meanwhile, Uncle was chanting his incantation. "Forget the cyborg, stop the old man!" shouted Ghoulwyrm. The Shadowkhan immediately started advancing towards Uncle.

"Uh, Draconus, you can't let the Shadowkhan get Uncle!" shouted Draco.

"Why shouldn't I?" said Draconus.

"Because, uh, you won't get to do it yourself," said Chris. He quickly whispered to Jackie, "We're not actually gonna let him do that."

Draconus's eyes glowed red. "NOBODY SPOILS MY FUN! EAT HOT PLASMA NINJA DUDES!" he yelled.

Meanwhile, Tchang Zu had been trying to blast Chip down with his lightning bolts. However, the cyborg experiment was far too nimble for him, especially since he was still running on that overcharge. "Stay still! DAUGHTER, I HAVE NEED OF YOUR AID!" he roared after yet another miss.

Chloe sighed and said, "I have to take care of all the difficult stuff." She leaped up onto a beam and said to Chip, "Ok, fork over the clappers, caballero."

Chris had climbed up on the other side. "Sorry, Chloe, can't let you do that," he said, holding a stun rod.

Chloe glanced at the stun rod and said, "Really? That oversized tazer? I have the power of lightning on my side. You think that zapper would work against me?"

"No, but it distracted you long enough for Chip to finish," said Chris, pointing at where the castanets were glowing green.

The castanets glowed green before shooting out two beams that hit Tchang Zu. "Looks like Zeus here is heading back to Mount Olympus," said Draco.

"NOOOOOOO!" yelled Tchang Zu before a shadowy portal and he was flung through.

Chloe yelled, "FATHER!" before jumping down to glare at Uncle. "Now you die...OOF!" she said as Chip jumped down on her head.

"Ole!" called Chip.

The Samurai Khan immediately faded away. Ghoulwyrm growled and said, "This is not over." He then became invisible and disappeared through a wall.

Drago peered out dizzily. "Who won...uh oh," he said as the gang turned to look.

"Who wants some snakeskin boots?" said Techo, pulling out a laser knife. Luckily, Ghoulwyrm popped out a portal to grab Drago just in time.

"Ok, now what do we do about the Lynch siblings?" asked Draco, pointing at Chloe, who still had blue scales and red eyes, and Draconus, who was giving them a rather predatory look.

Chloe leaned up unsteadily, "What hit me?"

Draconus however looked amused. "I like your makeover, though I don't think Matt approves."

Suddenly, Chloe's blue scales, claws, and spines faded away, leaving a human Chloe, although her armor remained in its altered form.

"Uncle, how did that happen?" asked Jackie.

"The same way that Drago's henchmen lost their demon powers," said Uncle, "The demon who gave them their powers has been removed from the Earth."

Draconus clapped, "Nice, what's the next trick?" he said

"This is, Yu Mo Gwai Gui Fai Di Zao, Yu Mo Gwai Gui Fai Di Zao," as Uncle chanted, a green glow came out of his dried lizard and covered Draconus.

"Hey...I was just...starting to have...fuuuu…" said Draconus, the red glow fading back to Matt's usual look. "Erm, does everyone have all their limbs in the correct place?" he asked

"Don't worry, everything's back to normal," said Techo, "As normal as it can get, anyways."

"Guys, what is this thing I'm wearing?" asked Chloe, looking at her new Chinese lightning-motif armor.

"Erm, demon armor I think," said Chris, poking it, "It looks good on you, if that helps."

"You really think so?" asked Chloe, "It doesn't look silly or anything?"

"Not at all," said Chris, "It suits you very well." Chris turned to see Matt glaring suspiciously. "Er...in a totally professional way," he said innocently.

"Um, the armor isn't cursed or anything, is it?" asked Jackie.

"Armor was created through goodwill of demon sorcerer. Not as evil as it could be," said Uncle, "But armor should not be worn until Uncle has cleansed it."

"If you even suggest I strip, I'm going to turn you into a lightning rod," said Chloe levelly.

"Not here, obviously," said Matt, "Especially since you're wearing nothing underneath of that."

"Exactly...hence the threat of third degree electrical burns," said Chloe.

Techo said cheerfully, "Well...least this demon rubbish is over, eh, Jackie?"

"I'm afraid not," said Jackie, "There are seven more demon doors that Drago and Ghoulwyrm will most likely try to open."

Matt stared. "Oh...fine...7 more demons...I can handle that. Excuse me a moment," he said and wandered out of the studio.

Jade said, "Is he ok?" before every non-merc jumped at a cry of 'OH GOD, NOOOOO!'.

Matt wandered back in. "All done."

"We better leave before anyone comes here and sees this," said Jackie, eyeing the damage the battle had done to the area.

"Agreed," said Uncle, "Jackie, leave credit card to pay for damages."

Jackie opened his mouth to protest when Matt said, "Oh, this should cover it," pulling out a handful of 50 NSC credits, solid gold credits.

"Uh, yes, that should work," said Jackie.

Just then, Chip walked over, holding an icebag to his head. "By the way, nice footwork back there," said Techo.

Chip winced and said, "Not so loud..."

"Voltage hangover," said Chris.

"Say, has anyone seen Morph?" asked Matt.

"Here I am," said a familiar voice. The group turned to see Morph walking towards them, glowing bright yellow and electricity crackling all over his body.

"Ah, was wondering where he landed. Like I said, Chloe, nice shot," said Matt.

"Hey guys, check out what I can do," said Morph and began shuffling in a circle. Very quickly, an electromagnetic field started to build up and started drawing the gang towards him.

"MORPH! STOP IT!" yelled Matt.

"Like this, Matt?" asked Morph, holding one glowing finger towards Matt. Matt's face paled as the electricity danced around the fingertip. "Zappity zap-zap!" said Morph.

The others and the Chans, who had been around the mercs to pick up on the sixth sense the gang had for imminent explosions, dived for cover. The explosion was quite large, more or less flattening the last of the studio. Morph, the only one not hurt by the zap, said, "Tag, you're it!"

Matt looked at the ruins and sighed, throwing another 100 credits on the pile. "I hate you, Morph...sooooo much," he coughed

Jade looked at a broken piece of glass and saw her hair was a static puffball. "Oh man, this is going to take forever to get back down."

Xander was the only one without static hair. "Being a reptile has its perks," he said to Jade.

"You're telling me," said Draco.

"Ooooh...my head..." moaned Chip.

Meanwhile, back in the subterranean area of San Fran, Drago was not a happy dragon. "You fool! You're worse than the Enforcers!" he yelled at Ghoulwyrm.

"Me? How could have I caused this?" said Ghoulwyrm.

"Your stupid spell was too slow. The Chans had time to send Uncle Zu back to the netherworld," said Drago, advancing on Ghoulwyrm with a fireball.

"Perhaps if you had participated more in the fight, they wouldn't have been able to get the upperhand," said Ghoulwyrm, "Besides, we both know your uncle made a mistake with choosing Chloe to be her apprentice."

"I was shot by my uncle's choice of apprentice...and then AGAIN by the robo-squid you failed to mention," said Drago.

"How was I supposed to know he'd go hyperactive after getting too much juice?" said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago grabbed Ghoulwyrm. "The next spell better work," he snarled.

"I'm sure it will," said Ghoulwyrm, "We'll just to have to find more ways to inhibit the Chans."

"Like what? Between all the times they've interfered, their damn uncle's accounted for every magic artifact on the planet," said Drago.

Ghoulwyrm thought for a minute and said, "Fortunately, I know of several sources of dark magic, several of which are outside his bailiwick. Chi magic is good, but only so powerful when it's put against something that's a completely different magic." He then remembered something. "And...I know some...leftover technology that will help. If it's still around," he said.

* * *

There's another chapter up. As you can see, it's a bit of a new quest for the Chans involving the Demon Sorcerers. Plus, they'll have the Shadowkhan to deal with too. Fortunately, the mercs are here to help them out. By the way, Hak Fu's presence is not a glitch, I'm pretty sure he switched sides during the series finale. Of course, you know that the Samurai Shadowkhan first appeared in the episode where the Ikazuki mask got attached to Finn's, ahem, posterior. I know it didn't actually mention the key ingredient for the mask removal potion in that episode, but I heard somewhere it was Japanese cherry blossoms. And of course Megagalactic Studio is where Tchang Zu's door was found. The next chapter will be up in a week, this is most likely to be a weekly thing. So keep an eye out for it and please review.


	3. Beauty and the Beach

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 3: Beauty and the Beach**

*Author's note: some contents of this chapter may be considered rated T in nature, not an overwhelming amount however.*

Life in the subterranean area of San Fran was not happy for Ghoulwyrm at the moment. Happily for him, he had been yelled at by superiors many times over the millennia and had mastered the art of tuning out rants while giving the correct responses.

"How could have we possibly lost? We had a team of samurai spirits on our side, the full might of Tchang Zu, and two minor demon sorcerers for backup!" yelled Drago, "It must have been your fault then."

Sadly, the trouble with ranting meant you had to return to Planet Reality briefly every now and then. "I'm afraid it wasn't our faults. A movie studio is not a good place for combat. It was a wise Atlantean colonel who said 'the best place for urban warfare is in the country where the city cannot get in the way'."

"Well, we can't really pick the battlefields," said Drago, "Each portal's set in one spot, and almost all of them are inside or on the outside of buildings. The only exception is Tso Lan and his is halfway to the moon!"

"I could modify the spell to only need to be near an element of the demon. But they'll be susceptible to their demon doors then," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Yeah right," said Drago, "As if you know anything about space-time fabrics."

"I have lived 12 thousand years, not including the 400 years I spent alive under the tutorage of the finest sorcerers in existence," said Ghoulwyrm promptly.

"Big talk," said Drago, "You have any diplomas to show for it?"

"No...what I DO have is a spell that does this," said Ghoulwyrm and used a basic short term transformation spell on Drago, turning him briefly into a gecko and back again. "Made my point?" he said.

Drago blinked and said, "Uh, ok, I see your point, don't do that again."

"Very well," said Ghoulwyrm, "Now we must prepare this spell to release one of your demon brethren."

"Ok," said Drago, "But it'll take some to properly formulate the-"

"No it won't," said Ghoulwyrm as he pulled out a scroll, "I've got it right here."

"You just happen to have that on you?" asked Drago.

"I've faced those mercenaries before...more than once. They have a habit of ruining plans. Having Plan B ready saves time," said Ghoulwyrm. He made a holographic map appear. "It also helps if the spell's near where its chi has been near...Hawaii?" he said as a water droplet icon appeared over the Hawaiian islands."

"That's weird, I nearly had Bai Tsa's chi right over there," said Drago, pointing to an island also on the map.

"Hmm, it appears that Immortal Gourd has been at Hawaii for a number of years before it was moved to... Where was it again?" asked Ghoulwyrm.

He motioned and it zoomed in. "Oh no...please not there," he whimpered as the view slowly homed in on a familiar island. It finally halted on Kauai Island and Drago was surprised when the dracolich broke down in hysterics.

The gang was at Section 13, trying to relax after their ordeal with Tchang Zu. Chloe was in her regular clothes and Uncle had taken the demon armor to be cleansed. However, she had built up quite a bit of static electricity, which caused her hair to be slightly frizzy and sparkle occasionally. "Morph, if you stick a balloon to me one more time..." she was saying.

The door to the canteen opened and three people came in, talking to each other. Matt looked at them. The first guy had strangely grey skin and was in a business suit that had seen better days, the second one was in a 70's disco outfit, and the last one was an oriental wearing orange sunglasses.

"I'm telling ya, switching sides has been the best thing we've ever done," said the guy in the disco suit."

"Yeah, no dark magic controlling us, no butt-kicking," said the guy with sunglasses.

"And we can actually have a normal day," said the one with grey skin.

They looked across the canteen to see Matt, Chloe, and Morph. Given that Matt's eyes glowed slightly, Chloe's were yellow, and Morph was...Morph, this automatically registered as one thing to each of their minds. "AH! MAGIC GUYS!" they yelled.

"AH! SOME GUYS I'VE NEVER SEEN BEFORE!" yelled Matt.

The group and Matt both pointed and yelled, "WHO THE HECK ARE YOU? I ASKED FIRST!"

"Well, so much for a relaxing day," said Chloe. Just then, Chip walked in, carrying a basket of laundry. Suddenly, the socks on the top flew off and stuck to Chloe's body. "I hate static electricity," she said.

The trio turned to see Chip and this seemed to be the final straw, resulting in them all trying to get out the doorway. "We don't care what you offer, we're not working for you," said the disco-suited guy.

"Gee, and I thought Matt was high-strung," said Chip.

"We don't want you to work for us," said Matt reasonably to the trio.

"Cover your ears, don't listen to a thing they say," said the guy with sunglasses.

"And we're not magic...well...not entirely," said Matt, admitting the last part.

Chloe said, "My brother may be off his rocker, but he's right. We barely have enough to pay for our ships. Let alone pay three more paychecks."

"I don't wanna be orange or scaly again!" wailed the grey-skinned guy.

"Uh, do we really want to know what they're talking about?" asked Chip.

Jackie came in another door, having heard the yells. "Finn, Chow, Ratso, it's ok. They're on our side," he said, he and Matt helping to pull the trio free.

"You sure, J-Master, they've got freaky eyes," said Finn.

"And a freaky robot thing," said Chow.

"And a freaky... I don't really know what it is. Kinda cute though," said Ratso.

"My eyes are NOT FREAKY!" yelled Matt, his eyes glowing white.

The three of them cringed back and Jackie said, "It's ok, they're not dark magic. They're aliens. Well, the smaller ones are."

The trio looked at them again and Chow said, "Ok, I know we've practically been through everything, but aliens?"

"Now you can say you've seen everything. I know I hadn't seen a demon the size of Gantu that could toss lightning bolts till last night," said Matt.

"Uh, is he talking about Tchang Zu?" asked Ratso.

"Yes he is, but Tchang Zu is gone for good now," said Jackie. He turned to the Lynches, Chip, and Morph and said, "Please forgive them. They've been working for the forces of darkness for a while and it's worn on their nerves."

"Least it was the only one, right?" said Matt, before seeing the Enforcers and Jackie's expressions. "It's...not the only one...is it," he said, dully

"We've been forced to hunt for Talismans for Shen-dude then break out his bros and sisses," said Finn.

"We got turned into dark chi warriors and enslaved to Daolon Wong," said Chow.

"And then Tarakudo hired us, but he was nicer," said Ratso.

"What about that Drago guy?" said Matt.

"We worked for him very briefly," said Finn.

"He made us these dragon things with fire powers," said Chow.

"But we goofed up once and he fired us," said Ratso, "In both senses."

"Ouch. I get the picture. So, Ghoulwyrm has a few more shots. I know how to find him," said Matt.

Uncle had walked in as Matt was saying that. He promptly walked over to Matt and whacked him on the forehead. "Do not joke about forces of darkness," said Uncle, "Invites bad chi."

"Ow...I'm serious. WARDEN can find him no problem," said Matt, rubbing his head.

"Uh, who's Ghoulwyrm?" asked Finn.

"Oh, he's this guy," said Chip, showing a hologram of Ghoulwyrm, "Dracolich and dracopyre, practiced necromancer and dark sorcerer, collects minions to serve under him, also has terrible breath." The Enforcers jumped back for a second. It didn't help that the hologram was very realistic...and animated to lunge forward.

Uncle has not moved. "Who is WARDEN?" he said suspiciously.

Matt shrugged, "I'll call him," putting another holoemitter on the floor and lining to the ship.

"Greetings, sir," said WARDEN, "How can I help you?"

Uncle yelled, "AI YA! EVIL SPIRIT!" and tried to hit WARDEN who waited calmly till he had gotten tired.

"Now that you have that out of your system, I am the artificial intelligence assigned to the captain. WARDEN, at your service."

"Oh, holograms, righteous," said Finn.

"High tech science, I can handle that," said Ratso.

"Greetings," said WARDEN.

"WARDEN here can find Ghoulwyrm and Drago in under an hour and find where Ghoulwyrm'll next try to bring one of these demon dudes to Earth, no problem," said Matt, smugly.

"Wait a minute, I thought Chan said that all the demons were gone for good," said Chow.

"I just said Tchang Zu was gone," said Jackie, "Drago and Ghoulwyrm are trying to free the others."

"But isn't Drago supposed to be gone too?" asked Ratso.

"Blame an old...acquaintance. We were too late to stop Drago's 'get out of limbo free' trip," said Chloe before noticing Uncle glaring at WARDEN.

"Uncle does not require help of shimmering soldier man," said Uncle, "Magic shall find magic."

"I assure you that I was made using the finest Magi-science by the Dracons. I can find your monster..." said WARDEN and that might have defused things had WARDEN not added "...old man."

"Ooh, you want a piece of Uncle?" said Uncle as he rolled up his sleeves.

"You can't actually hit me," reminded WARDEN.

"Break it up, you two," said Chloe

"Uncle has been chi wizard longer than you were born!" snapped Uncle, "I can find dragon boy and monster dragon without help from technology."

WARDEN raised an eyebrow. "Please...move with the times," he said.

"I SAID BREAK IT UP!" roared Chloe, going to half-dragon form.

The Enforcers screamed and ran for the door, getting jammed in the doorway again. "Ok, Uncle, please stop fighting with the hologram," said Chip, "Chloe, stop rattling the fragile-minded and long-suffering."

"What are you talking about?" said Matt, "She's not rattling me at all."

Chloe then made a dreadful mistake. She said, "Why don't you two race each other to see who can do it first?"

A few hours later, Jade and Megan had gotten back from looking around Chinatown. To her surprise, everyone seemed to be avoiding Chloe. And not in the normal fearful way, but in the huffing way. "Uh, did I miss something of significance?" asked Megan.

Chloe said, "Jade's uncle and WARDEN are racing to see which is better: magic or science. Uncle's pressganged those Enforcer guys into being assistants and WARDEN's refusing to do anything other than search," she said gloomily.

"Uh, ok, what's the contest over and why are you being given the stink-eye?" asked Jade.

"They're looking for the next portal Ghoulwyrm is going to open," said Chloe gloomily

"Ok, but why the constant avoidance?" asked Megan, "It's not like you suggested this or anything."

"Erm...I kinda did. WARDEN and Uncle were ready to fight...and given WARDEN has access to orbital bombardment cannons and nukes..." said Chloe.

Uncle's screechy voice interrupted Chloe, "Tohru! Uncle needs lionfish fin today!"

Jade said, "That'll do it."

The three wandered to the canteen and opened it. The foul smell that came out was bad for Jade and Megan, but many times worse for Chloe's dragon senses, making her fall backwards. Jade and Megan covered their noses very quickly. "Ew! Is it always this smelly?" asked Megan.

"Half the time," said Jade.

"Can't...breathe…" gasped Chloe, from the floor.

Inside, Tohru and the Enforcers were ferrying back with various ingredients, but were kept in motion by Uncle's continuous cry for 'One more thing!'

WARDEN could be seen standing aside motionless. Suddenly they both said "GOT IT!" a portal appearing over Uncle's spell as a holographic earth appeared in front of WARDEN.

"I am successful. A Class-Z energy signal is coming from Kauai Island in the Pacific," said the hologram.

"Ha! You big liar! Uncle had it done one second before you!"

"Did not," said WARDEN.

"Did too," said Uncle.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"Did too."

Chloe said, "It's been like this for the last 7 hours."

Draco walked in while wearing a gas mask. "Have the old geezers figured out where the next portal will be?" he asked.

"The old homestead...or at least this world's version. Kauai island," said Matt, apparently unbothered by the smell.

"Hawaii? Cool, I could use some warm weather," said Draco.

"Hey, beaches, waves, coconut drinks, sounds like we're finally getting a vacation," said Finn.

"Who said you were coming?" said Matt and was hit by Uncle.

"Uncle will need assistants to make banishing spell."

"I always wanted to see where you guys come from," said Megan.

"Uh, different world, different island," said Draco, "There won't be any experiments there except us."

"My sensors indicate the energy source is not active yet. A Psi-Com team could easily seal it before Ghoulwyrm arri..." began WARDEN and was interrupted by Matt who could see a free holiday escaping into the bushes if he wasn't fast.

"NO! I mean...we should make sure first."

"Yes we should," said Uncle, "Uncle will be able to seal portal must faster than fancy talking computer."

WARDEN glared and was about to say something when Matt cut the connection. "Flat power cells," he lied.

"Tohru, start packing! We must leave for Kauai immediately!" snapped Uncle.

"Alright, Hawaiian vacation!" said Chow.

Kauai airport

Gary, Megan, and NegaMorph (who was using a human hologram loaned from Xander) walked outside, NegaMorph looking like the priest from The Exorcist in his long coat and fedora.

"I don't know, I think this is the wrong disguise for me," said NegaMorph, "The pale skin contrasts too much.

"You wanna look like Megan's uncle or not?" asked Xander.

"Look, WARDEN should have forged Matt the 12 weapon permits he needs and the permits for Uncle's ingredients soon," said Chloe, walking out with Jade and the Enforcers.

"I just hope that our luggage doesn't get mixed up," said Jade.

"Yeah, especially when Draco had to fly as a pet," said Megan.

"I dunno...will be good entertainment if he gets found by the same cops who locked Lynch up," said NegaMorph happily

"Speaking of Draco, where's Chip, Morph, and Contrinus?" asked Jackie.

"Uh, Contrinus went under pet too, and Morph and Chip are in one of our bags," said Megan.

There was a squishing noise and Morph oozed out between the zip teeth on Megan's bag and peered out. "WE'RE HERE! I CLAIM DIBS ON THE SURFBOARD!

Megan squeezed him back in and said, "Morph, we're in public, no alien stuff."

"Aw," said Morph, oozing back in.

"I don't think I'll get used to that," said Finn.

"Actually, I've gotten completely used to that," said Chloe, "And all the other weird stuff he does."

Chow said, "Weirder then that?"

"Far, far weirder," said Chloe, "The guy's got brains like pudding."

Matt and Uncle finally came into view, followed by Tohru and Techo. They were arguing. "I said blowfish are not allowed in airports," said Matt.

"Feh, you are one to talk," said Uncle, "You bring too many weapons. Clank like tin man."

"Just as well nobody believes in magic or aliens," said Matt, grinning, "Let's just relax. WARDEN said he can't find Ghouly but he'll call us if he comes within 10 miles of the island."

"Not yet," said Chloe, "We still have some 'exotic pets' to pick up."

The group eventually strolled out of the airport. Draco and Contrinus had looks on that said that soon someone would be screaming, given Draco had a collar on with his name on and Contrinus was in a bird cage.

"This is so humiliating," said Draco.

"Aw, they don't look that bad," said Ratso as he patted Draco on the head. Draco glared and bit Ratso on the hand. "Gah!" said Ratso before showing his bite to Finn, "Does that look infected to you?"

"Save the fooling around for later," said Matt, "WARDEN says Ghoulwyrm's nowhere near the islands and he'll call if he turns up so I vote we relax for a bit."

"I'm all for that," said Finn, "Can't wait to hit the beach."

"We better wait until we check into the hotel first," said Jackie.

"So...has Uncle finally got his stuff through customs yet?" said Chloe.

"I believe there's two more bags that need to be gathered," said Tohru.

"Hmm, maybe we should have rented a trolley," said Chris, "I don't think even you could carry that much baggage."

Chloe muttered to Jade, "Convoy of trolleys he means. And I thought Matt was going over the top with two backpacks of weapons."

Eventually, Uncle came out with the last of his bags. "It's about time! Uncle was worried the ingredients would spoil in this heat," he snapped.

Techo said happily, "Now you can relax at the hotel," making a mistake an offering to take a bag...he got them all.

"These need to be in cooler environment as soon as possible," said Uncle, "Chop-chop!"

Techo staggered a bit and said weakly, "Draco, do you mind lending a hand?"

"Don't look at me," said Draco, "I'm just a large lizard."

"I was thinking more that you could help us save on ice packs?" said Techo, trying to drop a hint.

Matt said, "Not in public." He looked over at Megan and Gary. "Let's let Megan and Gary have some fun," he said.

NegaMorph gave Matt an annoyed look and said, "Wait a minute, I'm not letting my niece wander around some town she's never been in before with..."

"Of course you can," said Matt, "Jackie does it with Jade all the time, right?"

"What? No! I keep telling to stay but when I turn my back-" He turned around to look for Jade to see she had already gone. "See?"

Matt looked at Megan's gloomy face at NegaMorph's objection and said, "NegaMorph. A word in private," and used some plasma control to make sure the order was obeyed. Once it was just the two he pressed NegaMorph back. "Ok, this is unofficially a holiday, but let's get this straight. I nearly killed you once so lighten up or I won't either...get me?"

Ok, fine, but I still don't trust him," said NegaMorph.

"Well, you can't learn to trust someone by continuously peeking over their shoulder,' said Matt.

NegaMorph sighed, "Fine...but one wrong move and all bets are off."

Matt nodded, "Fine, deal, but if that occurs, nothing that won't heal in a day."

Then the two of them headed back and NegaMorph said, "Say, how about we work on getting unpacked at the hotel and you kids, uh, go to the arcade of something?"

Chloe gave NegaMorph and a look and said, "Go to the arcade? What is this, the 60's?"

"Give him a break. When was the last time he got to relax?" said Matt.

NegaMorph said, "That was when me and Silvia sparred in that arena."

"What?" said Matt darkly.

"Er, uh, say, aren't there supposed to be hula girls around here to greet us and put leas around our necks?" said Draco before things could get hostile.

"I'LL TAKE YOU APART!" yelled Matt.

"I'd like to see you try," retorted NegaMorph and the two lunged at each other.

"Reminds me of the last time Uncle and Tohru's mom were in the same room," said Jade as the two attempted to kill each other

While Matt and NegaMorph were busy trying to rearrange each other's faces, Gary and Megan took that time to go for a walk on the beach. "I always wanted to go to a beach," said Megan, "But New York's not the best place for swimming in the ocean."

Gary nodded. "It's nice though. Nothing attempting to eat us, no mad dracolich, Perfect peace," he said as the two walked through a crowded section of the beach, looking for some peace.

Just then, a large volleyball flew through the air and knocked Megan over. "Megan, are you ok?" asked Gary.

"Yeah, just winded a bit," said Megan.

Then a trio of Hawaiian girls came over. "Hey, we want our ball back," said the one with in the red bikini.

Megan picked up the ball, her hands glowing faintly. "No, no matter what, I won't blast them, no matter how tempting," she said, before offering it to the girls.

The one with the turquoise swimsuit took it and said, "Great, just what we need, Amber, another mainlander crowding up the beach."

"And a scrawny Goth at that, Lily," said the one with the yellow bikini, "What, do you starve yourself in the dark or something?"

Megan glared, remembering the training Baba Yaga has given her, more precisely the calming mantras. Gary said, "There's no call for that."

"Well, at least she brought better-looking company, Brittney" said the one in turquoise.

The one in red said, "Do yourself a favor, kid. Ditch the celery stick and find a girl with potential."

"Let's hurry back and get back to the game," said the girl in yellow and the three walked off.

The ball suddenly glowed purple and popped. Gary looked over in as much shock as the girls had before helping Megan out of sight.

"Sorry, Gary, I should haven't lost control then," said Megan.

"It's perfectly understandable," said Gary, "Those girls have obviously let their bodies swell up their egos."

Megan said, "Gary? Do you like me? How I look?"

"Of course I like you," said Gary, "You know our outsides don't matter at all. It's the person inside that counts."

Megan smiled and hugged Gary, though inside she was still not sure.

When Gary and Megan got to the hotel, the bellhops were easily able to point them where their room was, given how often Uncle rang for room service. When they got in there, Uncle was apparently having another argument with WARDEN.

Matt was desperately trying to keep order. "For the last time, can't we say it's a draw?" he was saying as the couple came in.

"What are they competing over now?" asked Gary.

"Are they trying to outdo each other at Majong now?" asked Megan.

"Nope. Apparently Ghoulwyrm's signal just appeared in the jungle. They're arguing over who found him first," said Chloe, who was leaning against the doorframe.

"In that case, how comes we're just standing here and not going out to stop him?" asked Gary.

"That's what Matt's trying to say. I reckon he's about an inch from blowing a hole in the...there we go," said NegaMorph as Matt snapped and blew a hole in the roof.

"PEOPLE! GHOULWYRM IS HERE AND WE NEED TO CATCH HIM!" he yelled.

"Uh, does 'people' include us?" asked Finn.

"We were kinda hoping on checking out the trinket shops," said Chow.

"Not to mention we always get our butts kicked," said Ratso before getting elbowed by the other two.

Matt looked at them. "You can stay, but try to leave...and some friends will stop you," said Matt, pointing to his backpack.

"Uh, what's in the bag?" asked Finn.

"Some evil goblin imps," said Jade.

"Really?" asked Chow nervously.

"Nope, much worse and more mischievous," said Matt.

Drago looked around the small clearing they were in, a deep pool in the middle. "You sure your spell will work? It didn't work so well last time," he said, watching the treeline for movement.

"I'm positive," said Ghoulwyrm, "This time we've got the element of secrecy on our side. The Chans and mercs won't have any idea we're on this island, let alone what demon we're summoning."

"The Chans and his friends have a habit of turning up. So...what's your 'Plan B'?" said Drago

"I am familiar with many different mythologies," said Ghoulwyrm, "Every culture has some kind of spirit that goes bump in the night. Hawaii is no different." He spoken some ancient Hawaiian words before slapping the ground three times. Soon afterwards, what looked like a large ghostly cloud appeared with torches hovering in the middle. "Behold the Nightmarchers," said Ghoulwyrm.

"I don't see them," said Drago.

"That's a good thing," said Ghoulwyrm, "Otherwise you'd turn to stone."

Drago smirked. "I like them already," he said before frowning again. "Let's just get the spell done, get the demon, and leave."

"This will take a bit of time," said Ghoulwyrm, "Creating new holes between realms is rather hard." He chanted a couple of words and several Squid Khan appeared. "Plus being so far from the door does not help either," he said, before going into a dark magic trance.

The gang was actually not too far, following, sadly at the same time, WARDEN's GPS program and Uncle's chi spell. "This is not going to work," said Techo.

"Do not doubt the magic," said Uncle, "We shall find dark lizard if we follow the fish's glow."

"Of course, if you want to end up going over a cliff," said WARDEN, "I've pinpointed his exact location and the route that would take you there quickest."

"Ghoulwyrm is magic, he could easily fool your trackers," retorted Uncle.

"STOP IT!" screamed Matt, who's nerves were gently shattering.

"You'd think a 15-foot wyvern would be easy to spot," said Chip, "Maybe we just need a bird's eye view."

"I'm on it," said Contrinus as she flew up to the top of a nearby palm tree.

"SEE ANYTHING?" called Chloe.

"Nothing, just some mist up ahead," replied Contrinus.

"Hmm, knowing Ghoulwyrm, that's probably where he is," said Matt.

"Um, is that mist supposed to be coming towards us?" asked NegaMorph as he pointed as the approaching fogbank.

"Hmm, this seems pretty familiar somehow," said Chip, "I think Lilo talked about something about this."

WARDEN said, "Sirs, New Type V lifeforms approaching your location. Caution advised."

Uncle shivered, "Tin man is right. Uncle has the willies."

Draco snapped his fingers and said, "I remember now. These guys must be the Nightmarchers. Don't look at them or they'll turn you to stone."

"Great, shooting blindfolded. Can anyone spell 'friendly fire'?" said Techo sarcastically before adding "...and how do we know it's not just some of Ghoulwyrm's buddies playing the drums?"

Suddenly, something heavy fell off the palm tree and landed on Techo. It turned out to be a stone version of Contrinus, with a surprised look frozen on her face. "Ow...Ok...never mind...nighty-night," gibbered Techo before passing out.

Matt pulled out a blaster. "I really hate undead," he said, "Surely somebody bothered to research how to kill these guys."

"Uh, as I recall, they'll leave you alone if you lay face first on the ground," said Draco. The others gave him an odd look and Draco said, "Yeah, I don't think that'd work either."

"But I think Lilo said the leaves of the ti plant will keep them away," said Chip.

"Great...what's a ti plant?" said Matt, making at least his sister safe as she face planted from sheer exasperation.

"I think it's more commonly referred to as a palm lily," said Chip, "Just give me a few minutes to look up what one looks like."

Chris looked to see several wisps of mist coming into view. "Chip...now is not a good time to use DIAL UP...GOOGLE FASTER!"

"Right," said Chip. About 6 seconds of searching later, Chip pointed at a tall flowering plant and said, "It's that one!"

"Grab it!" yelled Matt, lunging for the plant with Chris, both of them hitting each other.

Fortunately, Jade was next to the plant and quickly jumped up a nearby palm to get to the leaves. When she got a handful, she threw them towards the mist. The mist gave a shrieking noise, like a cat being sprayed with water before being swept away, despite no wind.

Matt got up in time to see Contrinus's healing finally kicking in as the stone cover fell away. "Nice work, Jade, now then...WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?...and how did you ditch Finn and company?" he said.

"Che, those guys couldn't guard a chicken egg," said Jade.

"That's brings us back to 'what are you doing here...as in here...in this location...at this moment," said Matt, rubbing his eyes.

"I was scouting," said Jade, "Ghoulwyrm's doing his voodoo over that way." She pointed in one direction, not far from where the mist had come from.

Matt smirked. "I think Jade won the race," he said before seeing the other Chans' faces. "I mean, erm...bad Jade."

"Jade, it's too dangerous, you should go back to the hotel," said Jackie.

"But Jackie, I know where to go. You'll get all turned around without me," said Jade.

"Look, there cannot be many more..." began Techo before everyone heard distant drums. "Lead the way," said Techo

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm had snapped out of his dark trance and said, "Ok, I think I've gotten a connection through. Now to widen the hole." He started chanting darkly and the Squid Khan sank down into their own shadows before forming a dark circle over the surface of the pool. He finally stood back. "There we go, any time now," he said, happily before hearing an explosion. "Oh no...I don't believe it."

Chloe glared at Matt and said, "Way to give away our position."

"I can't help it," said Matt, sniffing, "This trail's really dusty."

Ghoulwyrm glared and pointed at his Nightmarchers. "GET THEM!" he roared.

The sound of war cries filled the air as the touch-carrying mist came towards the group. "I hope we have enough palm lily leaves," said Chip as he covered his eye.

"I prefer this method," said Matt, sending a blast into one of the torches, spinning them and their invisible carrier into the pool. Uncle, however, was using one of the lily leaves to cast chi blasts at Nightmarchers.

"Work, you useless spell," snarled Ghoulwyrm as Drago charged Jackie.

"Sorry, but this is a private luau, Chan," said Drago, "But I suppose we always have some more room on the spit." He breathed out a stream of fire at Jackie who was just barely able to keep ahead of it.

Chloe landed beside Drago. "Hey, I forgot to send my old boss a message. This is for Tchang," she said and first, kicked Drago in the chest before clocking him across the jaw and jumping up to land on his chest feet first. Drago was thrown back several feet by the attack.

"Get your tail in gear," snapped Ghoulwyrm, "I can't fight or it would interrupt the spell."

"Me against all of them?" said Drago, "You know that math's not good. I need backup!"

"Ugh, fine," said Ghoulwyrm. Then some more Squid Khan appeared and Ghoulwyrm commanded, "Get them!"

Chloe yelped as the first Squid Khan tied her up with one tentacle and readied another to go through her head, only for Matt to slice through it with his ion blade. "Boy, these are really weird-looking ones," said Matt as another Khan tried to grab him.

The Khan charging him sent its tentacles shooting at Matt, who dodged it. The tentacles carried on, shooting through a boulder with ease. "Ok, these guys may be stretchy taffy, but they are can still hit hard," said Matt.

"But they pop like balloons," said NegaMorph, firing his fangs at the Shadowkhan.

Matt nodded and switched his pulse blasters to auto and fired at a group of Khan, popping them. Drago threw a fireball at Jackie before seeing the mercs catch on to their boss's example and start showering the Khan with auto-fire.

But then some Khan appeared behind them and grabbed the group before lifting them up into the air upside-down. "Mental note: next time, Lynch, BRING THE SPIDERBOTS!" yelled Chris.

"Not to worry," said Matt before blasting the Shadowkhan holding them with a plasma burst from his hand.

The Shadowkhan exploded in their usual puffs. "Nice one...oh smeg," said Techo before gravity caught up with the gang.

Draco and Chip were among the first to land. "That wasn't so bad," said Chip. But then they looked up to see Tohru about to land on them.

"And I laughed when our horoscope predicted this," said Draco dryly before the 480-pound Japanese man landed on both of them.

Matt landed on his helmet wedging it over his eyes. "Gmmmph...Hhmmmlp."

Chloe sighed and walked over to Matt and pulled at his helmet. "C'mon, we have to stop Ghoulwyrm before he-"

Ghoulwyrm smirked. "-finish the spell?" he finished, sending a bolt of black lightning into the portal in the pool. The portal fluxed before forming into a dark whirlpool. A spout of water came out from the center. As they watched, the water began to take shape, forming arms, a torso, and then a head before solidifying into a mermaid-like demon with eight tentacles on her head.

Chloe turned in time for the shape to send a blast of water, knocking her flying and pulling the helmet off. Matt rubbed his eyes to be almost nose to nose with Bai Tsa, the Water demon. "Well, well, another human coming to interfere with my liberation?" she said.

Matt's eyes twitched before he lost some form control and they turned draconic. It was proof that Bai Tsa had been too far away from humanity that she didn't note anything wrong when Matt started to giggle insanely. "Uh, Aunt Bai," said Drago, "I'd get away from him before he-"

Matt cut him off with a cry of "BOIL FISHY!" before sending a plasma blast through Bai Tsa.

Bai Tsa looked quite surprised at the hole in her before Matt sent a cluster into her, making her collapse into water. "VICTORY IS MINE! Eat that, demon lady! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAA!" he said, laughing insanely.

However, the puddles on the ground quickly coalesced back into Bai Tsa's form. "Foolish human, I am not conquered so easily," said the Water Demon before send Matt backwards with a hydrant-like blast.

Jackie turned to see Matt hit him and they both went into a boulder. "Ow...ok...that's cheating," moaned Matt.

Then Bai Tsa turned to Ghoulwyrm and said, "And I suppose that you were the conjurer that brought me back to this realm."

Ghoulwyrm nodded. "Ghoulwyrm, at your service, accept the gift of this Shadowkhan clan," he said.

Bai Tsa glanced at the Squid Khan and said, "Yes, they do suit my form well. I suppose I should thank you for this gift and for freeing me."

Ghoulwyrm smirked. This was too easy. "Serving you is reward enough," he said smoothly before a blast literally knocked his head off. "Goddamn Shar-Khan mercs," it said as it sailed by Bai Tsa's head.

"Wah! You knocked his head off!" yelled Jade.

"I didn't know it would come off so easily," said Matt.

"Urgh, you little pest," said Ghoulwyrm's head as it wobbled around to look at Matt, "You know how disorientating this is?"

"Uh, shouldn't he be..." said Jackie before looking at Ghoulwyrm's body. Suddenly, several black and white tentacles came out of the neck while making a squealing sound.

"Not really, I've blown him up, squashed him and once the spiderbots caught him...and that's something in itself," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm was speaking to his body, "Ok...warmer...warmer...little to the left...oh come on!" as his body fell down a hill.

"Ew, that's really gross," said Jade.

"Hmm...yup," said Matt before saying, "Where'd demon lady go?" Everyone looked around to see a definite lack of water demoness.

"Ai ya! The Water Demon has escaped!" yelled Uncle, "How could you let her escape?"

"Sorry, but decapitated dracolichs are pretty attention-grabbing," said Matt.

Then Ghoulwyrm's body came back up the hill. "Ok, follow my voice," said Ghoulwyrm, "This way, to the right, little more..." Then the body smacked into a palm tree. "No...that's a tree," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Oh, shut it," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm bounced his head round. "Oh yeah...and if I don't?...uh oh," he said as Matt kicked the offending head as hard as he could, sending it flying over the horizon.

The headless body stumbled around, the neck tentacles wriggling as they tried to find the missing head. "Uh, since there aren't any demons here, can we leave?" asked Chloe, "That's starting to make me lose my appetite."

"No...we must research new spell to locate water demoness," said Uncle.

Back at the hotel, Megan was looking at her reflection in a mirror. "I'm not that unattractive, am I?" she asked herself as she posed in front of the mirror. "Ok, so I'm kinda pale, I don't absorb sunlight that well." She placed her hands on her chest and said, "I suppose I could be more buxom, but what would they expect? I'm barely into puberty."

Megan spotted Uncle's spell book. "Hmm...I wonder. He must have a spell in there," she muttered, flicking through the pages. Eventually, she came across one spell that looked promising. However, she didn't know very much Chinese so she had to use a Chinese-to-English dictionary to read it. "Beautification spell, increases and enhances the user's attractiveness. That sounds just like what I'm looking for." She paused for a moment and said, "But I probably shouldn't. Gary did say he liked me as I am and I could get in trouble."

She memorized the spell just as she heard the door opening and Uncle saying, "...must do research into way to counter undead dragon's summoning spell."

Megan quickly created a bookmark out of shadows and placed on the page before closing the book. "Hi guys," she said, "Any luck?"

"No, she got away and it's dawn," said Matt, gloomily.

"Does that mean she's loose for good?" asked Megan.

"No," said Uncle, "Bai Tsa's door is in Rome. Ghoulwyrm could not have used the same spell he used with Tchang Zu to release her."

"Means we're still in the game," said Matt.

Chloe nodded, "We just need a plan."

"Will take some time to divine a proper counterspell," said Uncle.

"In that case, I say we go check out the sights. Er, to see where Drago and Bai Tsa could have gone," said Matt.

The next morning the gang had headed out into the main town to look around as well as to keep an eye out for anything demonic. It was why the mercs were carrying sport bags or backpacks carrying particle rifles. Eventually, they moved onto one of the nature trails.

"Pretty nice weather for a hike," said Jackie.

"This is so boring," moaned Jade.

"Jade, a little exercise is good for you, right guys?" said Jackie.

Matt was looking suspiciously at a stream. "What? Sorry...keeping an eye out," he said.

"Matt does have a bit of a point," said Jade, "Bai Tsa could be in another ocean for all we know."

"Yeah...I dunno. Draco taught me a few tricks. I don't think she's left," said Matt.

"But what does she has to gain here?" asked Chip.

"Yeah, it's not like she can sink this island," said Draco, "Can she?"

"No, WARDEN says nothing short of a tactical plasma bomb into the volcano," said Matt.

"Then my guess is that she'll probably be looking for an apprentice like Tchang Zu," said Chloe.

"Or revenge for us banishing her in the first place," said Jade.

"Could be both," said Matt, absently.

"Then we'll have to watch our backs," said Jackie, "We are in serious danger."

There was a moment of silence before Draco said, "Who wants to go see Mt. Kilauea?"

"Meh, you see one volcano, you've seen em all," said Matt, vaguely.

Chloe said, "We'll go check the beach...in case Bai Tsa tries to increase the surfing trade."

"Uh, but I don't have a bathing suit," said Gary.

"Me either," said Megan.

"That's ok," said Chloe, "We can buy you guys something before we go."

"Which reminds me," said NegaMorph, "Matt and Chloe need new swimsuits too."

Matt said, "More 'credit' when I was missing?" his voice falsely sweet.

"Actually, no," said NegaMorph, "Chupy got into them and tore them up."

Jade said "Who's Chupy?"

Matt said, "Our mascot chup...mmmph" as Chloe gagged him

"Chihuahua," she said.

Jade gave them an odd look and said, "You guys own a spaceship and travel to other galaxies and you pick a Mexican anklebiter for your mascot?"

"In a way...yes..." said Matt, he and Chloe wearing innocent faces.

"Ok, you guys go pick up swimwear, we aliens are going to see the volcano," said Draco.

"Bye...and no swimming in the lava, Draco," said Chloe.

"What? I can withstand the heat," said Draco.

"Yes, but it freaks out the other tourists," said Chloe.

"Yeah, sure, good luck finding a good bikini," said Draco.

Chloe glared and electrocuted Draco before she and Matt walked off.

Later, Matt, Chloe, Gary, and Megan were at the department store looking for swimsuits to wear. NegaMorph went along to make sure they didn't get anything inappropriate. Matt had been adamant he was not going into the water at any point and was not buying but the others were.

Chloe and Megan were currently in the girls' changing room trying on different swimsuits. "Chloe," said Megan, "Do you ever feel uncomfortable about the way you look?"

Chloe said, "Not really. Looks are not everything. Look at me, I can turn into a lightning-spitting winged reptile when I want."

"Oh, yeah, I guess," said Megan, "You think I'm too skinny?"

"No, Corporal Nadeen, now she was thin. She was a naga," said Chloe.

"A naga?" said Megan, "I thought they were magical creatures."

"They are, but the Nagatorn are a naga-like species," said Chloe.

"I've never heard of them before," said Megan.

"They joined the NSC a week before I was...recruited by the Emperor," said Chloe

Matt however was watching NegaMorph and Gary very like a hawk would watch prey. The last thing he needed was Nega turning nasty, especially as it might damage his hologram.

The two of them were quiet for a while before NegaMorph said slowly, "So...Gary, Megan says you two have been together for a while."

Matt winced at this, mouthing 'Don't answer'.

"Well, sorta," said Gary, "Megan and I have been together, but we've separated for a little bit."

"For what reason?" asked NegaMorph.

"Well, you know I'm a weregoyle. I had to control the beast inside of me or else I could hurt someone," said Gary.

Matt winced and covered his face in his hands. "Beast inside?" said NegaMorph, in a tone suited for opening hostilities in World War 3.

"It only comes out if I get enraged about something," said Gary, "Like someone hurting Megan."

Matt tried to jump in. "Let's go get some shaved ice. I saw a nice place. Come on, NegaMorph," he said desperately.

"Wait a minute," said NegaMorph, "You mean you could go rampant and attack Megan?"

"No, never," said Gary, "I would never hurt Megan. Even as a monster, I would never raise my hand against her. Or claws as the case may be."

"CLAWS?" snarled NegaMorph.

"Wait, let me further explain," said Gary. NegaMorph's eyes flashed red as his form flickered even more.

Chloe wandered out at that point. "How do I...what did I miss?" she said.

NegaMorph's temper immediately settled down. "Er, we were just trying to make small talk," he said.

Chloe glared. "Of course you were."

Just then, Chris walked into the store and said, "Say guys, you want some macadamia..."

His voice trailed off when he saw Chloe in the revealing purple two-piece she was wearing. "Hey Chris," she said, "Like my new swimsuit?" Chris made a couple of sputtering noises as his face turned bright pink. Then a bit of blood came out of his nostrils and he toppled over.

Matt and NegaMorph wandered over and poked him. "Is he dead?" said Matt.

"Nope, his brain just got overloaded," said NegaMorph, "Way to fry him, Chloe. By the way, you look great."

Chloe smiled. "Thanks." It was Matt's turn to glare.

Just then, Megan came out, also wearing a two piece, only black. "How do I look?" asked Megan.

NegaMorph glared and said, "There's no way I'm letting my niece go out dressed like a-" Matt smacked him on the back of the head. "Uh, I mean, you look pretty, dear," said NegaMorph.

There was a sound and the group turned to see the trio from the beach the previous day coming in. Amber looked at the group and said, "Oh great, more tourists."

Then Brittney noticed Megan and said, "Well what do you know, it's the bean sprout from yesterday."

"And she's trying to dress like the big girls, isn't that cute?" said Lily mockingly. Megan groaned and crossed her arms over her chest.

Matt glared. "You remind me of a girl I met briefly. She was a bitch too," he said nastily.

Brittney looked at Matt and said to her posse, "So what do you think, girls?"

"Kinda cute, but obvious nutjob," said Lily.

"Yeah, this guy's got psycho written all over him," said Amber.

Matt glared. "Oh, I'm not nuts, but I'm armed," he said and was deflated when the girls just laughed. "Urge to kill...rising," he said, in a low voice.

Then Amber looked at Chloe and said, "Now there's real potential."

"Not Hawaiian, but not bad," said Lily.

"Do yourself a favor, sweetheart," said Brittney to Chloe, "Ditch the deadweight and start hanging with the populars before their antisocial gunk rubs off on you."

"Oh, I think I know where to go. Back where we come from, you'd literally be eaten by the competition...or mutated," said Chloe, evilly.

"Too late for her," said Brittney, "C'mon girls, let's go find another place. This one's too crowded with losers." The group glared at the trio as they left.

"I don't believe it," said NegaMorph.

"Yeah, totally shallow creeps," said Matt.

"That and they didn't even look at me. What am I? Chopped liver?"

Matt was glaring after them. "NegaMorph...priorities, this is a call for vengeance," he said.

NegaMorph was about to extend his claws but then stopped. "I really wish I could, but if I did, wouldn't the Council consider me hostile again?"

"I'm not even here...but make sure they live," said Matt, until Chloe zapped him. "I mean, no vengeance...yet."

"Megan, don't you listen to a word they say," said Gary sternly, "Those three wouldn't know what a true beauty is if their heads were banged together by one."

Megan still looked insulted, but she said, "Ok, no problem."

That night however she sneaked up to their rooms while the others were eating, saying she was not hungry. Once she was there however, she easily found the book with her shadow bookmark in it and began preparing the spell.

However, her Chinese still required a translation dictionary. "Uh, let's see, is that 3 leaves of ginger or 2?" she said to herself, "Or does that say 'turtle claws'?" She shrugged and put in the ginger and the spell began to bubble before blackening her face as a little mushroom cloud came out with a 'poof' noise.

Megan coughed and rubbed the soot off her face. "Ok, now for the final ingredient..." She looked at the book and then at her dictionary. "It's 'eye of newt'? Huh, I guess Chinese magic isn't so different from Western after all," said Megan.

The liquid began to glow as she put the eye in...and then started to bubble violently. "Uh oh," said Megan before looking at the book...and wiping a piece of dust off the symbol. "Double uh oh," she said.

The gang were walking back, Matt having secured a snack for later. (Some experiment aspects are hard to shake.) Suddenly there was a boom and smoke poured under the door to Uncle's room.

"Oh, please tell me that what I thought it was," said Jackie.

"If you're think it was me, it wasn't," said Jade, "How could it be me if I'm right here?"

Matt ran to the door with Chloe and kicked the door open before being covered in the smoke. "Urgh...smells like garlic," said Matt.

"Ugh, so maybe Chinese magic is different," said a voice.

"Megan? Where are you?" asked Chloe.

"Over here," said Megan's voice, "I guess I should have used a better source." Then Megan walked out the smoke and the others stared at her. This wasn't surprising since she now had the skin, webbing, and eyes of a tree frog. "What? What are you looking at?" she asked.

Everyone stared. "Nothing, do not look in mirror," said Uncle. Megan, filled with curiosity, looked at a nearby mirror and screamed when she saw her green skin. "I told you not to look in mirror!" said Uncle.

The experiments, Chris, and Techo came round the other corner from their room, Techo and Chris holding their guns. "What's wrong?" said Chris before seeing Megan. "Oh no...Megan 'croaked'," he said.

"No, this isn't what I was trying to do," said Megan, "I was trying to use that beauty spells and I must have read the recipe wrong and-" Her excitement caught to her as her throat suddenly expanded and she let out a tree frog's cheep.

Techo, Chris, and the experiments cracked at this and started laughing their heads off. The laughter quickly spread as Tohru, Jade, Matt, and Chloe started giggling. The Enforcers were already guffawing. Even Uncle and Jackie had to cover their mouths. What was really hurtful to Megan was that Gary and NegaMorph looked ready to crack.

Matt and Chloe stopped when they saw Megan's face. "Guys?" said Chloe, ignored.

Megan's bulging eyes quickly started tearing up. She let out a cry of despair and ran out from between before running down the hallway.

Matt and Chloe turned on the others. "Nice going...wanna borrow my ion staff for a little bit of stabbing too?" said Matt, angrily.

The guilt quickly set in. "Oh, now I feel bad," said Tohru.

"I shouldn't have laughed," said Jade, "I've made bigger botches when I try chi magic."

"We gotta find her. If she runs into those idiots from the shop..." said Matt, trailing off.

Megan ran out of the hotel and into the forest. Her tears blinded her so she tumbled over several roots. Eventually, she stopped at a stream. She looked down gloomily into the water to see the spell had worn off but she could still hear the laughter echoing in her mind. The sting of it really hurt her. Especially with Gary and NegaMorph. She thought that out of everybody, they would never mock her. The tears that had been building up in her eyes started running down her face.

Unfortunately, she was not alone. Bai Tsa was in the stream, looking up at the sobbing shadow hybrid. She could sense the latent power with the girl. It was quite powerful magic, if unrefined. Her saddened state would make it even easier to get on her good side. All she had to do was play the sympathy card.

She let her eyes appear in the pool. "Why so sad, dear child?" she said in a kindly voice.

Megan jumped back and said, "Who are you? What are you?"

"I am...Namaka, the water goddess of these islands," said Bai Tsa.

"I didn't know that the gods here were real," said Megan.

"There are quite a number of things exist beyond human's knowledge," said Bai Tsa, "So why do you add your tears to my stream?"

"I had an accident with a spell. My friends...my close friends all laughed at me...even my uncle," said Megan sadly.

"Oh, such a shame," said 'Namaka', "What kind of spell were you trying to cast?"

"A...a beauty spell," said Megan, a bit embarrassed to admit it.

"A beauty spell? But you have such fine features already," said 'Namaka'.

"Gary said that, but these girls I met kept calling me a bean sprout," said Megan, "I wanted to prove them wrong by making myself prettier. But I got that chi spell wrong and I ended up a tree frog."

"Did you remember the garlic?" said 'Namaka' out of habit. Every chi magic user knew garlic was a key ingredient in any Chinese spell

"No, I didn't... Wait, you're Hawaiian. How would you know about chi magic?" asked Megan.

Bai Tsa flustered for a bit before saying, "We gods trade magics when we meet. It's been a couple hundred years since I've been to China, but I've got a good memory. I could teach you how to properly cast spells."

Megan sadly had not been in the crew long enough to develop the mercenary 'bullshit' sensor but she had a good sixth sense from her time as a thief...but her hopes drowned its warning. "You would?" she said happily.

"Of course," said Bai Tsa, "I've been looking for an apprentice anyways. You'll do just fine with me."

Megan's sixth sense finally got through. "Can I see you?" she asked, slightly suspiciously.

"Er, yes, just a moment," said Bai Tsa. The water from the stream suddenly flowed up and formed the vague shape of a woman. Then it solidified into a beautiful Hawaiian woman wearing woven kelp and her hair braided into eight braids. "It's been a while since I've appeared in mortal form," explained 'Namaka'.

Megan smiled. "Sorry, my uncle and my friends have been hunting demons. I can never be too careful," she said.

"Good advice," said 'Namaka', "There's a good reason to be cautious around the supernatural. Now, tell me about this beauty spell you tried to use. Perhaps I can point out what you did wrong." Megan told 'Namaka' the various ingredients she'd used. 'Namaka' frowned and said, "You don't know much about Chinese magic, do you?"

"Can't order off a Chinese menu," admitted Megan.

'Namaka' sighed and smiled. "Don't worry. Once I have taught you, no magic will be beyond you."

"You really think so?" asked Megan.

"You're just a diamond in the rough right now," said 'Namaka', "You just need the proper training. But you look thirsty." A seashell appeared in her hand and filled up with water. "Have a drink." Megan looked at the water before taking the seashell before shivering. She may have been a novice but she could sense magic a mile off, though she could not sense its alignment. "Oh, do not worry," said 'Namaka', "It is some of my special water. It will help awaken your hidden potential."

Megan hesitated before gulping down the water. She shuddered for a second before looking to see Namaka looking like she was expecting something. "Erm...what now?"

Bai Tsa was rather expecting Megan to sprout fins after ingesting her chi sample, but apparently her unique body structure didn't metabolize foreign chi as quickly. "Erm, perhaps you need a good night's rest," said 'Namaka', "But first, how about I fix up that beauty spell you've been trying for? As a show of good faith."

Megan nodded and 'Namaka' drew a symbol on the ground before mumbling in Chinese. The symbol quickly lit up before converting into a blue liquid and flowing up into her hand before 'Namaka' conjured a glass bottle to put it in. "Drink this just as you go to bed and your appearance shall be flawless," said 'Namaka' handing the bottle over to Megan.

Megan looked at it and smiled. "Thank you, Namaka," she said, hugging the demon in disguise before heading back for the hotel.

'Namaka' chuckled to herself before reverting to her true form. "The young can be so easily led by an understanding ear," said Bai Tsa, "She shall make a find apprentice indeed, when her inner demon awakens."

Back at the hotel, the gang were trying to find Megan. "For the last time, it's important we find her," Matt was saying to the receptionist.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we are not responsible for runaway children," said the receptionist, "Perhaps you would like to contact the local authorities."

"Look, she's a danger to anyone she meets in the mood she was in. Do it!" said Matt.

"He does have a bit of a point," said Megan, "I can have a nasty temper."

"Yeah, you heard her- WAH!" yelled Matt before spinning around to see Megan. He thumped at his chest to make sure his heart was still going. "Must you keep doing that?" he said.

"Jade said the reactions were fun...she was right," said Megan, giggling.

"I'm glad you're ok," said Matt seriously.

"Yeah, I just need some time outside to clear my head and my skin," said Megan.

"Good, the gang are all out looking for you. They're all feeling bad about what happened," said Matt, before turning on his comm. once the receptionist was distracted. "Nega...found your niece...yeah, she's fine...here she is," he said, passing his comm. over.

Megan took the comm. and said, "Hi Uncle."

"Megan, I'm so glad you're ok," said NegaMorph, "I shouldn't have snickered at your frog face."

Megan said, "No, but it's ok, I know you didn't mean it."

"But still, I am your uncle, I shouldn't laugh at your mishaps," said NegaMorph.

"It's ok, I said," said Megan, annoyed, "Where's Gary? Is he with you?"

"Yes, he is, just a second..." NegaMorph passed his comm. to Gary.

"Megan, I am so sorry I laughed at you. It was for-"

"Ok, ok, I get it, I forgive you," said Megan in an annoyed voice, "Don't grovel about it."

Matt looked a bit surprised. "You ok?" he said.

"Just fine," said Megan, "That frog thing doesn't mean anything to me anymore."

Matt nodded though he had personally been referring to her tone.

Then Matt noticed the bottle in Megan's hand. "What's that you got there?" asked Matt.

"Oh, just a little something I bought on the way here," said Megan, "I was kinda thirsty."

Matt said, "Can I take a swig? I'm gasping and the bar's closed."

Megan said, "NO...I mean...there's not much left."

"C'mon, you've had enough of that already," said Matt.

Megan's eyes turned red and she said, "I said no."

Matt jumped back. "Wow, easy there, I'll just go find a shop," he said.

Megan's eyes returned to normal and she said, "Sorry, I guess I'm more rattled than I thought."

Matt nodded. "Yeah. I can see that..." he said, going by.

Shortly afterwards, everyone went to bed. Megan went to sleep later than the others. She opened the bottle and said, "Well, here's to a better me." She swallowed it down in one gulp and put the bottle on the nightstand. After that, she curled up and went to sleep.

The next morning, Matt, who on threat from NegaMorph had been given the room next door to guard, was woken by a scream. He wasted no time, blowing a hole in the connecting wall. "OK...STEP AWAY FROM...Megan?"

Megan was standing in front of a mirror in her nightclothes. They were a lot tighter and had went up several inches due to Megan's increase in height. But that wasn't the only that was different. Her breasts, hips, and butt had grown in size and sexiness. Her hair had also grown down to her shoulder blades, framing her beautiful face. "It worked!" she said, "I can't believe it worked!"

"What worked?" said Matt, confused.

"Last night, I went into the woods after you guys laughed at me and I met Namaka," said Megan.

"Who's Namaka?" asked Matt.

"She's the Hawaiian goddess of water," said Megan, "I told her what happened and she gave me that beauty potion. I drank it before bed and now I'm like this." She gestured towards her hourglass figure, "Damn, I'm foxy."

Matt rubbed the back of his head. "NegaMorph may freak. He has enough trouble with one potential suitor," he said.

"Oh, I'm not planning on leaving Gary," said Megan, "I can't wait for him to see me like this. You think I could do something like this for Gary, for boys that is."

Matt shrugged. "I dunno...this is a bit extreme..." he began

Megan then had a sneaky look on her face. "I can't wait to rub it in with those three stuck-ups," she said.

Matt gulped. "Oh boy...now then...no zapping," he said

"Oh, I don't need to zap them," said Megan, "I'm just gonna watch them choke on their own jealousy."

Matt shrugged. "Works for me."

Then Matt glanced at the hole he blew in the wall and said, "I guess I'll have to pay the hotel extra."

"No, problem," said Megan, "I can fix that." Matt watched as Megan muttered a few words and the rubble shot back into the hole, repairing the damage.

"Nice," said Matt, "Wonder if I could learn to do that. Would save a lot on the bills."

Gary and NegaMorph burst in at that. NegaMorph had gotten Gary a room on the other side of the hotel so it had taken a few minutes to get there.

"Megan, we heard you..." Gary's voice trailed off when he and NegaMorph saw Megan in her hot new body. "What? How is this possible?" asked Gary.

"I don't know," said NegaMorph, "But it must be your fault."

"Nope, apparently some local spirit gave her a potion last night," said Matt.

"That's right," said Megan as she rubbed her hands down her sides, "All my inner beauty is on the outside. How do you like it?"

Gary said, "Erm...er..." mumbling a bit.

"What's the matter, cat got your tongue?" asked Megan. Gary's face started to go bright pink.

"Here we go again," muttered NegaMorph as Gary toppled over, blood dripping from his nostrils.

Matt poked him. "Stop breaking people, Megan," he said jokingly

"Actually, that was Chloe last time," said NegaMorph.

"Meh," said Matt dismissively before pulling NegaMorph aside. "You think this is weird, a spirit turning up exactly with what Megan wanted?"

"My thoughts exactly," said NegaMorph, "Did she say what kind of spirit?"

"Namaka or something." said Matt

"Sounds Hawaiian, we better check the local library on her," said NegaMorph.

Matt nodded. "I'll keep an eye on Megan. She had a serious case of red eye last night."

"Well, she does have my DNA," said NegaMorph, "It's not really that unusual."

"I'm talking evil red eye," said Matt, waving his hands in a spooky way.

"I don't think we can draw much from that," said NegaMorph, "But I do want to keep an eye on her. And when I say keep an eye on her, I don't mean ogle her."

"Nega, there's only one girl for me and she wants to kill me," said Matt.

NegaMorph nodded and said, "True, true, that's why you signed up for this crazy mission in the first place."

"Yeah...look...I got a bad feeling about this," said Matt before suddenly grinning past NegaMorph like a loon.

"What? What are you grinning at? Are they doing something inappropriate?" said NegaMorph.

"If by 'inappropriate', you mean walking out the door, then yes," said Matt.

NegaMorph spun also grinning as Megan said suspiciously, "What is it?"

"Uh, Matt is going to make sure that you, uh, don't run into any uncouth young men," said NegaMorph.

Megan raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she said

"Well, a body like yours tends to attract rather perverse guys," said NegaMorph.

Megan nodded. "I suppose I am more desirable now," she said her eyes glowing faintly as she said that. Matt nodded and walked off to Chloe's room. Megan looked in the mirror again and said, "Yeah, I'm totally going to be the hottest girl on the beach." However, she didn't notice her fingers starting to become webbed.

Over the day the gang noticed subtle changes to Megan's personality. She was getting a 'holier than thou' complex sometimes and was being nastier when upset.

"Boy, her head is starting to swell up," muttered Matt.

"Her new body's probably boosting her ego," said Chloe, "But it's not an improvement in my opinion."

NegaMorph and Gary however continued to defend Megan's new changes. This however changed when she ran into the trio.

Gary and Megan were walking down the boardwalk near the beach. Megan's clothes, which she had borrowed from Chloe, did well to show off her curvaceous new body. This caused several guys to pause and watch her go, much to Gary's consternation.

By sheer chance, Brittney, Amber, and Lily were walking that same boardwalk. Megan saw them first and grinned. '_Time to rub it in their faces,_' she thought. She boldly walked up to them and said, "Hey girls, what's new?"

The trio paused and looked at Megan. "Do we know you?" asked Lily.

"Wait a minute," said Brittney, "You're that little sprout from yesterday."

"Yesterday, yes," said Megan before posing, "But the sprout has blossomed."

The trio stared for a few seconds before Brittney said, "You are such a poser."

Megan glared at that. "What did you say?"

"There's no way you can get that hot in 24 hours naturally," said Brittney, "You have to had surgery or something."

"Whoever it was did a good job," said Amber.

"Shut up!" snapped Brittney, "She's still a sprout. Now she's just wearing false petals."

"Nothing natural at all," agreed Lily.

"Yeah, not like us organically-grown beauties," said Amber. Then the three of them walked off, laughing to disguise their envy.

However, Megan did nothing to disguise her irritation. Her eyes glowed red and said, "That does it. I'm gonna tear to bits and feed them to the sharks."

However, a hand came out of the shadows and grabbed her arm. "Easy there," said NegaMorph, "As much as I'd like to take those nymphs down a peg, violence is not the answer. Well, not for you anyways. I'd want to attack them. But you've got better ways of payback. Whip up a brew or something, something that won't get you arrested."

Gary nodded and said, "He's right, you're better than them. Don't stoop down so low for petty payback."

Megan growled a bit before saying, "Fine. But I'm not forgetting this." She stormed off, her good mood blown for now. Both Gary and NegaMorph were so concerned they didn't notice a freak wave suddenly splash up against the boardwalk and soak the trio. This was especially odd on account of the waves were nowhere near surfing size today.

They had decided to go to the beach. Chloe and Megan were wearing their new swimsuits, though Megan was a tighter fit thanks to her new assets. Chloe had gone to sunbathe while Matt was working on some sand pits...literally.

Gary wandered over as Matt was covering up the latest of his sand pits. "Uh, what do you intend to catch in these?" he asked.

"Anything," said Matt in his 'insane' voice.

"Uh, don't you think these pits could be dangerous?" asked Gary.

"They're not that deep," said Matt happily

"Hmm, you do remember where you put them, right?" asked Gary.

"Put what?" said Matt, eye twitching.

Gary said, "Ooookay…" and wandered off to tell Chloe her brother had probably got sunstroke. Gary approached Chloe and said, "Chloe, I think your brother's..." His voice trailed off when he saw Chloe holding up a mirrored panel near her face. "Uh, what are you doing?" asked Gary.

"Trying to get a tan," said Chloe.

"Erm...have you got enough lotion on? It's pretty sunny," said Gary.

"Half dragon...no need," said Chloe

"Ok, you do know your brother has been digging a lot of pitfalls, right?" asked Gary.

"So long as there aren't any spikes or tigers in them," said Chloe.

NegaMorph's cry could be heard followed by a few threats. "What about a NegaMorph?" said Gary.

"He can climb back out," said Chloe, "The only thing that's concerning is that Matt forgetting where he puts them and falling into one himself." There was a scream as if on cue. "Annnd there we go...least he can't hurt anyone in that hole," said Chloe before leaning back again

Just then, a shadow appeared over Gary. He turned around to see an annoyed-looking Megan. "What do you think you're doing?" she said.

"Uh, talking with Chloe?" said Gary.

Megan glared, her eyes glowing red. "Then why don't I believe you?" she said.

"What? Megan, you don't think I'm going behind your back, do you?" asked Gary.

Megan's glare intensified. "You're thinking you're too good for just me, don't you? You want to collect other pretty girls."

"No, of course not," said Gary, "You know how much I care for you."

"SILENCE!" yelled Megan, her eyes going solid red. Not far away., Bai Tsa could sense the demon chi she had handed over taking effect. "Well, maybe I'm the one who's too good for just you," said Megan.

"Megan, you don't really mean that," said Gary.

"Maybe we should break up?" said Megan, reaching for Gary's throat. "Emphasis on 'break'."

Lucky for Gary one of Matt's deeper pits was between them. Gary stepped backwards and Megan lost her balance. She tumbled down into the pit that Matt had dug. "Sorry about that," said Gary before running off to look for NegaMorph and Matt.

There was an inhuman shriek from the pit and a column of black water shot out to splash in front of Gary. The water quickly formed into what looked like Lady NegaMorph, only her legs and tail were fused into a large fish tail, fins were growing on her arms and back, and her hair tentacles were much longer.

Matt, who's trip into his own pit had snapped him partially out of it, sobered up when he saw Megan. "Bloody hell," he said.

One of Megan's tentacles grabbed Gary and lifted him up to her face. "Going somewhere, boyfriend?" she said in a demonic voice.

Matt scrambled up and shot a plasma ball into Megan's back. "It's boy _meets_ girl...not eat," he said.

Megan snarled and blasted Matt backwards with a blast of water. This got the attention of the rest of the mercs. It was the kind of thing you notice. Megan soon found herself being blasted from different sides, but her healing powers caused her to barely notice them.

Another problem appeared when a column of water formed on the sea and Bai Tsa appeared. "Oh bugger," said Techo.

"The tide brings such rubbish to the shore," said Bai Tsa, "Let's sweep it away." She caused a sizeable wave to started heading towards the beach.

"Oh...bum," said Matt sulkily a second before the wave swept them inland. When the wave swept back, it left the group deposited on the far side of the beach. Matt coughed and said, "I hate salt water."

"Where's Megan?" asked Gary.

"Probably with her new mistress," said Techo, pointing out the disappearances of the water demonesses. Gary just sat there. "We'd best go find the Chans..." said Matt.

"Just a second, where's Chloe?" asked Chris.

"Right here," said Chloe's voice. They turned to see that Chloe's skin was bright red.

"Oh crap...if it's about the pits, I had sunstroke and I'm sticking to that story," said Matt, backing up.

"I'm not mad at you," said Chloe, crossing her arms and hissing in pain. "Oh, that stings."

"Can dragons get sunburn?" said Matt, confused.

"Apparently so...unless Chloe's switched elements to fire," said Chris and was zapped.

"Not now, I'm not in the mood," said Chloe.

"Should have put that sunscreen on," said Matt.

Everyone winced as Matt got a much bigger bolt in the face. "She did warn you, dude," said Chris.

"Uh, I hate to change the subject, but we better find Megan and Bai Tsa before they flood the island or something," said Techo.

"First we gotta find the Chans...none of our gear works on these guys," said Matt.

"That and Uncle's the only we know who can get rid of Bai Tsa," said Chris. Then he looked at Chloe and asked, "Out of curiosity, how much does that sunburn cover?"

The gang walked gloomily back to the hotel. It was all they could do as they had no idea where the Chans were. It was lucky then that they arrived at the same time as the Chans. "Uncle, we have a problem," said Matt, "Megan-"

"Megan has been deceived by Bai Tsa into becoming her apprentice by playing on her misery and self-consciousness and now Megan has become a demon," interrupted Uncle.

The gang stared open mouthed. "How..." managed Matt

"That is not important," said Uncle, "What's important is that we must locate Bai Tsa before she completely corrupts Megan."

"Plus we gotta stop Bai Tsa from turning us into seafood," said Chris

"But how are we going to find them?" asked Jackie.

Uncle thought for a moment before he said, "Does Megan have anything that means great significance to her?"

As the others tried to think of something, Jade suddenly said, "I think I know something." She went over to where Megan's bag was and started fishing around in it. "Got it," she said, holding up a bat pendant.

"Where'd that come from?" asked Matt.

"Megan told me it was a gift from Gary," said Jade, "I didn't think she'd bring to the beach where she could lose it."

"That should work," said Chloe.

The Enforcers were heading into the hotel at that point. "Hey guys...hey. What's wrong?" said Finn, cheerfully at first till he saw the collective serious expressions.

"Where have you three been?" asked Jackie.

"Pearl diving," said Chow, "But all we got was a stupid octopus."

"Where is it?" asked Jackie.

"Right here," said Ratso, turning around and pulling up his shirt, revealing a very stubborn-looking octopus.

"Ow...let me help," said Chris and pulled at the octopus who decided to latch onto Chris's face instead. Chris screamed loudly as he tried to tear the octopus off of him.

"Hold still, I'll get it," said Matt, a plasma orb appearing in his hand.

"No, wait," said Tohru, "That's a Japanese octopus. We need one of its tentacles to defeat Bai Tsa."

"Get it off...it's worse than Chupy!" screamed Chris.

Uncle walked over and pinched the octopus near its base. The octopus twitched and went limp. Then Uncle pulled the suction cops off of Chris and walked away. "Thank you," he said.

Chris rubbed his face, which now had suction cup marks all over it. "Oh great," said Chris, "I look like I have octopox or something."

"At least those suction marks will go away in a few minutes," said Chloe, "How do you think I feel?"

"I won't let that...thing manipulate Megan," said Gary almost in a whisper. He had not said a thing since the beach.

"Neither will I," growled NegaMorph.

It didn't take long for Uncle to prepare the locator spell and soon the gang were heading through the jungle towards where the spell was pointing.

"Ok, once we get there, we need to have a plan of some kind," said Jackie, "We can't just charge in there and start fighting."

"You're right. We barely survived the first time we faced a double team," said Matt

"We do have the banishing spell ready, right?" asked Chris.

"Sensei says this should work," said Tohru, "But Bai Tsa will have to be immobilized."

"Oh great...so nothing too immensely impossible then," said Matt sarcastically.

"No problem," said Jade, "We just have to keep Bai Tsa distracted long enough for Uncle to cast his spell."

"Great...how do you distract a giant fish?" said Matt.

"Well, we could always use Morph," said Chloe.

"That's a bit too obvious," said Chip, "Besides, Megan would see right through it. We need to come up with something neither of them would suspect."

Jackie thought for a minute then looked at the Enforcers. "I know how you three could earn some brownie points," he said.

The Enforcers backed up. "No...Not a chance, dude," said Finn and they tried to flee only for Matt to make a wall of plasma block them.

"You have no choice in the matter," said Matt.

"Besides, you owe Megan," said Gary sternly, "You laughed her out the door last night, remember?"

"So you can help...or take it up with her uncle," said Chloe.

The three of them took one look at NegaMorph who made a deep growling sound. "So, what do you want us to do?" asked Chow.

"Be yourselves...now get in there," said Matt

Meanwhile, Bai Tsa had set up her court in a small lagoon. The Squid Khan were standing around the perimeter to make sure no one would get in. Bai Tsa had created a throne out of water that she was currently sitting on.

Megan was looking worried. Now she was away from the beach, a small part of her as expressing doubts and guilt at her actions and her thoughts continually went back to Gary.

"What's the matter dear?" said Bai Tsa, "You seemed troubled. Do you not have what it is you desire?"

"Not everything," said Megan gloomily, her thoughts now on Gary properly.

Bai Tsa studied her for a minute and said, "Ah, I see, you seek companionship." Megan nodded her head. "Ah, don't worry, you'll be able to have as many young men as you want," said Bai Tsa.

"Well, there's actually only one boy I want," said Megan.

Bai Tsa was not happy with that. The last thing she needed was her apprentice having an attachment. "Megan, in order to become a sorceress, you must be able to move beyond your mortal fancies," said Bai Tsa, "Your boy would only hold you back. He is frightened of your new found power. But in time, he shall accept it and you can have him again. Until, you should focus on your duties."

Megan sighed. Bai Tsa frowned when she saw that the young sorceress was not convinced. "Perhaps you require time," said Bai Tsa, "How about I give you a few lessons? But first, I think you need a new wardrobe that better suits your new position." Megan nodded, bluntly.

Bai Tsa raised her hand and water swirled around Megan for a minute. When it fell away, Megan was wearing a streamlined aquamarine armor with fin details on the shoulders, forearms, and hips. "There, an armor worthy of a warrior, a sorceress, and a water demon," said Bai Tsa.

Suddenly several of the Squid Khan turned and lunged into the shadows, pulling three familiar people to Bai Tsa into the clearing. "Er...hey, fish dudette...long time no see," said Finn.

Bai Tsa gave them a look of disgust and said, "You three, the minions of my sniveling brother Shendu, what are you doing here?"

"Uh, since you're winning right now, we wanna switch over to your side," said Ratso.

"Yeah, you could use a couple of thugs like us," said Chow.

Bai Tsa glared at them. "Convince me," she said in a cold voice

"Uh, hey, you could use a number of page boys," said Finn.

"Page boys?" asked Bai Tsa.

"Yeah, you can't just wander into towns and expect them to open your doors to you," said Chow.

"Yeah, people get creeped out by tentacles, trust me," said Ratso.

"Hmm, you three look more like you'd be court jesters," said Bai Tsa.

The Enforcers looked to see Matt and the mercs getting into positions behind the demonesses. "We could do that, we're not picky. We're good with odd jobs," said Finn.

Bai Tsa considered for a minute and said, "Very well, amuse me. If you make me laugh, I might not feed you to a shark."

The Enforcers gulped and tried to desperately think of anything. From the looks of things, Matt was having trouble getting whatever he had in mind for the next part of the distraction ready.

"Uh, ok, so a pair of fish were swimming in the ocean..." started Chow but stopped when he noticed Bai Tsa's glare.

"Uh, too close to home," said Finn, "Hey, I know, about some prop comedy?"

Bai Tsa did not look like she had much patience at that. "Get rid of these idiots," she said.

The Shadowkhan started to slither towards the Enforcers, their tentacles stretching towards them. The three of them screamed and ran in the opposite direction. But then Ratso slipped on a slippery stone and fell into the other two. They tumbled forward and hit the base of a coconut tree. As they sat up, three coconuts landed on their heads.

Bai Tsa actually laughed at this. "You will make good jesters," she said.

There was a click behind the water demoness. "Is pain really that funny? Let's find out," said a familiar voice and a cylinder shot into Bai Tsa's chest. Her body healed over it and she span to see Matt, holding a smoking tube.

Bai Tsa hissed and glared at Matt. "Your weapon is of no use against me," she said.

"Sorry, it's not done yet. I told Techo it needed a shorter fuse." Bai Tsa caught on and began trying to liquefy her body...too late as the explosive went off. "What do you know, it is funny," said Matt, blasting a khan. Megan hissed and threw a water ball at Matt. Matt dodged the blast before blasting another Khan.

Then Chloe came out and shot a lightning blast into another Shadowkhan. But then one of them made the mistake of smacking her with its tentacle. Chloe yelled in pain. The pain though had the unforeseen benefit of an instant fury blast. It wasn't until several Shadowkhan had been vaporized that Chloe calmed down. "Don't ever touch the sunburn," she growled.

The others gulped. "My sister's got a mean streak," said Matt.

Just then, Bai Tsa reformed and grabbed Matt. "You will pay for that trick," she said.

Matt grinned. "But I have another," he said, cheekily. Then Matt opened his mouth and spat a plasma ball out. It hit Bai Tsa in the face and instantly reduced her head to vapor.

Matt dropped to the ground. "Gets them every time," he said happily

However, Bai Tsa's head regrew and one of her tentacles wrapped around Matt's neck. "An interesting trick," said Bai Tsa, "Allow me to do something similar." Then water started to spread from her tentacle and cover Matt's face, blocking off his air supply.

Matt gasped and began to panic before a lightning bolt hit Bai Tsa in the back. While this did break the spell...sadly it also fried Matt. Bai Tsa collapsed into water again while Matt was left twitching on the ground. He glared up at Chloe and said, "Did we forget that water conducts electricity?"

"It got her to let go, didn;t it?" said Chloe, still annoyed over the fact that the Khan kept hitting her sunburn.

Just then, Megan manipulated the shadows and formed a cage around the Lynches. "Ah, I didn't think she could still manipulate shadows, no matter," said Matt firing a bright plasma blast which destroyed the cage.

Megan winced at this and NegaMorph punched Matt out of reflex protectiveness. "NEGAMORPH!" yelled Chloe.

"Oops, sorry, got caught up in the moment," said NegaMorph.

"Warn me next time," said Matt before jumping to avoid a shadow spear.

Then Megan waved her hands over the lagoon. The shadows at the bottom started to churn upwards as well as the water. When it breached the surface, it took the form of a sea serpent made out of shadows and water.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," said Matt before a punt knocked him flying, rolling past a small treeline to land near a cliffedge.

As Matt was starting to get up, Bai Tsa appeared in front of him. "Going somewhere?" she said before shooting a concentrated pressurized blast at water at the rock, slicing off the part of the cliff Matt was on.

"Oh crap," said Matt gloomily. The Chans came into view in time to see the cliff fall away.

"Matt!" called Jackie and started to run over to the cliff when a Shadowkhan picked him up.

Chloe didn't seem too worried when she blasted the Khan. "Believe me, that won't work," she said and was proved right as a blue European dragon swooped up and spat a plasma fireball at Bai Tsa's front before literally landing on her.

"Oh, right, I forgot about that," said Jackie.

Megan waved her hand and sent the shadow water serpent towards Matt. Matt turned before sending a blast of flame at it.

Bai Tsa formed back with a groan. Even though she was made of water technically, half a ton of dragon landing on you hurts either way. Bai Tsa looked at Matt who was engaged with the shadow water serpent. "Hmm, not a Celestial, certainly not a demon, but definitely a pest," said Bai Tsa before throwing a spear made of water at Matt's back.

Matt turned at Chloe's cry of warning before turning to have the shadow serpent take the spear instead. The creature roared before collapsing back into water. A second blast sent Matt out the sky to land in a heap. Megan prepared a third blast aiming at Chloe. Just then, Gary stood in front of Chloe and said, "Megan, stop! You don't want to do this!"

Megan glared at him. "I think I really do. Now get out the way. It is not meant for you," she said.

"Megan, this is not your true self. The real you would never attack out of malice. She'd always have a real reason for striking back at someone," said Gary.

Bai Tsa said, "What are you waiting for? Destroy him."

Megan hesitated and Gary said, "Megan, you shouldn't let others tell you how to improve yourself. You were already pretty and skilled enough before. You don't need a demon's help to make you into anything better."

Bai Tsa snarled. "Apprentice, you will obey me. Kill that mongrel half-mortal."

Megan suddenly had a very determined look on her face. She turned to face Bai Tsa and said, "No."

Bai Tsa hissed and said, "You dare disobey your mistress?"

Megan smirked. "Yes," before sending a blast at Bai Tsa, knocking her down.

Bai Tsa snarled and said, "Traitor!" She got up and waved her hand over the lagoon. The water came up in a massive water spout which she then sent towards Megan.

Gary pushed Megan out the way, yelling "NO!" the blast knocking him flying.

Chloe yelled, "Uncle Chan, any time would be good!"

Meanwhile, the Enforcers and Chris had actually managed to grab a Khan. Chris managed to pull its mask off. "Look...souvenir, guys." he said, before the Khan turned to face them. The Khan stared with its six red eyes and hissed with its buglike mouth. Chris and the Enforcers started for a second before screaming and running in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, Megan had snapped and was literally trying to rip Bai Tsa apart, the stress had more or less caused the chi to turn her into a black-colored version of the water demon. Matt and turned back and was checking Gary. "He's fine...takes more than that to get a gargoyle," he said.

Uncle had finishing pouring the potion onto the gourd he was holding and said, "Chi spell is ready, now we need Bai Tsa to hold still."

"Megan? Could you hold Bai Tsa in that pose?" Matt asked. Megan shrieked angrily and got the Water Demon Sorceress in a headlock. "That's cool, hold that pose," said Matt

However, Bai Tsa turned to water and slid out. "You cannot hold me," said Bai Tsa, "I am the Demon Sorceress of Water. I command the deep ocean, the raging river, the soggy swamp-"

"What about the frozen tundra?" said Draco before breathing his ice breath at Bai Tsa. Bai Tsa shrieked before freezing solid.

Matt strolled up. "Oh...so tempting to push her over," he said, tapping her and startling when Bai Tsa said, "YOU ARE DOOMED!" Matt jumped backwards and thumped his chest.

"I guess she can still talk," said Draco.

"Oh course she can. Demon is magic," said Uncle before chanting the chi spell. When the gourd was glowing its brightest, Uncle blew off the top of it, causing a beam of green magic to hit Bai Tsa. Bai Tsa shrieked as the beam hit her. A demon door appeared behind her and began to pull her in.

Matt walked up as she managed to grab some ground, pulling out his blaster. "Hi. My name's Captain Lynch, Shar-Khan and professional mercenary, spread the word: Earth's off limits," he said before blasting the ground she was holding.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" yelled Bai Tsa as her frozen body was sent flying through the portal. As soon as she was gone, the remaining Squid Khan disappeared.

"Thank you, please never come again," called Matt cheekily. However the portal was still open. A beam shot out of Megan and followed Bai Tsa into the portal, before it closed.

Megan moaned and slumped onto the ground. As the others watched, she reverted back to her human form. "Water demon chi has been removed," said Uncle.

NegaMorph went over to her. "Megan? Megan, can you hear me?" he said.

Megan moaned softly and opened her eyes. "Ooh, I feel queasy," she said.

NegaMorph said, "You're ok now."

Megan winced before saying, "Where's Gary? Is he ok?"

Chloe helped Gary over. "I'm fine," said Gary, wincing, "Nothing a day's rest won't fix."

Megan got up shakily before going past her uncle to hug Gary closely. "I'm sorry for what happened," she said.

"It wasn't your fault," said Gary, "Bai Tsa could have manipulated anyone like that."

"I should have seen her for what she was," said Megan gloomily.

"Misery and doubt clouded your judgment," said Uncle, "We must work on those during lessons."

"Yeah...don't worry about it. Bai Tsa coulda done the mind kabosh on anyone," said Matt cheerfully.

"Wait, what do you mean 'lessons'?" asked Megan.

"Bai Tsa had one good point, you have great potential for magic," said Uncle. "I shall train you to be able to use it for good. But mostly to prevent messy screwups. Uncle has enough trouble with Jade botching it. He does not want Megan to do even worse."

"Well...two down, lots to go...and it looks like Ghoulwyrm n Drago legged it again," said Matt.

"Good, I'm not in the mood to deal with them," said Chloe, "Uncle, you wouldn't happen to know any remedies for sunburns, would you?"

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm was in hot water in more ways than one. Drago was advancing on him with a fireball in each hand. "So they wouldn't find us, would they?" he said

"I haven't the slightest idea how they could have tracked us," said Ghoulwyrm, "I was so careful to cover my tracks."

"Not careful enough," roared Drago, throwing one of the fireballs that Ghoulwyrm just dodged, "I told you the old man was trouble."

Ghoulwyrm growled and said, "I admit I underestimated their tracking skills. But where were you when the Chans banished her?"

Drago glared. "Are you accusing me of being a coward?" he said

"No, I'm accusing you of being a sluggard," said Ghoulwyrm, "At least I have a perfectly good reason for being absent."

Drago roared and threw the second fireball, this time hitting the undead dragon, before grabbing him by the throat. "Never insult me again," he said. Ghoulwyrm just growled at him and Drago said, "So what were you doing?"

"I was looking for my head," said Ghoulwyrm, "That stupid mercenary knocked it off."

Drago grinned and pulled Ghoulwyrm's head off before throwing it into an empty barrel. "Think of a better spell," he said before kicking the barrel down a hill.

"I HATE YOU- BWOWOWOWOWOWOWHOOOOOAAA!" yelled Ghoulwyrm's head as the barrel rolled down the hill.

Back at the hotel, Megan was recuperating from her experience with Bai Tsa. She had changed out of the demon armor into her normal clothes. "I'm so sorry I caused all this mess," said Megan.

"Ok, ok, you're sorry, don't grovel to us," said Matt.

Megan gave Matt an annoyed look and said, "Very funny."

Gary was sitting in the corner. "Well...we still have two days left on the 'holiday' we booked. We can relax now."

"Relax? How can Uncle relax when Drago and Ghoulwyrm are still on the loose?" snapped Uncle, "One more thing, Megan must begin her lessons. One more thing, Uncle will not let smartypants computer get drop on him. One more thing, it is too hot in here."

Matt sighed and looked at Morph. "Hey, Morph...can you show Megan how Lax works?" he said, pointing at Uncle.

"One more thing, Uncle must go back to watch shop. One more thing, there are too many mosquitoes. One more thing-" As Uncle was babbling on, Morph transformed into a purple toucan-like experiment which zapped Uncle with a green beam from his antenna. Uncle immediately had a peaceful look on his face and said, "Uncle must take time off for Uncle."

Matt grinned. "Did you like the demonstration?" he said to Megan.

"What experiment was that?" asked Megan.

"Experiment 285, Lax, designed to make people stop working and relax," said Chip, "Nowadays, he works at the airport to make grumpy people enjoy their vacation."

NegaMorph came in. "Can I talk with you, Gary...in private?" he said. "Relax...I'm not going to kill him," he added when the gang tensed up.

When the two of them were alone, Gary asked, "What's the matter?"

"Well, you know I don't like you around Megan," said NegaMorph, "But the way you were able to turn her around when she was under Bai Tsa, I guess you are good enough for her. So I think I can trust you with her from now on. But if you ever upset her, hurt her, or put her in danger, you remember these nine words: I am not afraid to go back to prison."

Gary went wide eyed and said weakly, "Yes sir…" before NegaMorph smiled happily and patted him on the back.

"Off you go," he said, leaving the shellshocked Gary.

When Gary went back into the room, Chloe was rubbing aloe vera on her skin. "Oh man, this stings," she said.

"I could probably whip up a sunburn cure," said Megan.

"Uh, maybe I should tend to her," said Contrinus, "Don't you remember how bad your last spell went. Speaking of which, what did you do with the rest of that 'beauty spell'?"

"Oh...I put it on a special...present for those three bimbos," she said, evilly.

Matt grinned as well. "You want me to send a spy cam to record the reactions?" he said

"Definitely," said Megan.

There was three distant screams at that. "Works fast," said Matt evilly, before linking to the ship's sensors for a bird's eye view.

The spy cam quickly spotted Brittney, Amber, and Lily, who were currently looking like large tree frogs in girl's swimwear. They were apparently freaking out and could not stop themselves from chirping.

Matt faked wiping a tear from his eyes. "I've never been so amused," he said.

"I guess sometimes it is good to blunder," said Megan.

* * *

There's another chapter done. We see Bai Tsa on the loose again, notably shorter than the last time she was on Earth. And also the Enforcers are back and on the good guys' side. Of course, since they're swearing off adventuring, don't expect to see too much of them. And of course, the Squid Khan from the Halloween episode. The next chapter will be up next week. We might not have some filler chapters ahead so hang around. Please review.


	4. Out for a Bite

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 4: Out for a Bite**

Earth is in many cases out of the NSC's way, despite their mandate to protect it. This Earth was largely ignored apart from a couple of covert bases. There had been a recent incident when a Splitter mining ship had been attracted to an old beacon at Stonehenge, but that was it.

However, when a ship starts heading towards Earth without responding to any of the hailing signals, that's when the NSC will step in if they're available.

Sadly in this case, they were not. However, this ship was not in any case to attack, being chased as it was by two 'Shiva' class Splitter merchant guild destroyers. A crewman looked at his leader as another energy bolt literally knocked a part off. "We can't take another hit like that, master," he said in a frightened tone.

The crewman's leader kept himself in the shadows, only allowing his two red eyes to be seen. "You will do as you're told or you will the next to be fed upon," he growled.

"Sir...if we don't land or stop they'll be nobody left to be fed on...or to feed for that matter," said the crewman desperately.

The main screen was replaced with the captain of one of the pursuing ships. "There is no escape. You are at our mercy. Surrender or be destroyed."

"As if I could be destroyed," said the captain, "Take us down to the planet. They cannot touch us there."

An explosion killed the crewman before he could carry out the order. The figure snorted angrily and walked out the shadows to carry out the order himself. The light fell upon a being that greatly resembled a large werewolf with black fur, only with the muzzle, ears, and wings of a vampire bat. "Good minions are so hard to find these days," said the werepyre to himself.

"Caution...programmed descent path will result in fatal ship damage upon landing," said the computer.

The creature snorted. "Fatal for you," he said before confirming the order.

To the pursuing ships, it was as if their weapons had crippled its engines, sending it into a nosedive into the American Pacific coast. "Sir? No lifesigns," said an ensign on the lead ship.

"I don't care, drop a magi nullifier in the crashsite first," said the captain, not believing a word of it.

Nobody had seen the ship, and even if they had it would have just seemed like a meteor impact. As a result nobody saw a figure scramble out the water to watch a burst of white energy blossom over the same area.

"Well, so much for taking that ship anywhere else," said the figure, "I guess I'll have to make due here." The figure turned to bump into a sign. He rubbed his snout and was about to destroy the offending sign when he saw what it said. 'Coming soon: MoonFang Holiday resort'. The werepyre grinned and said, "How appropriate." Just then, he spotted one of the Splitter ships flying overhead. The werepyre ducked into the shadows to avoid being spotted.

"Dammit. If they find me in my weakened form…I refuse to be a test subject again. The Empire may not oblige my escape next time," he muttered before looking at the sign again and grinning as an idea arrived. "Why not? It worked for lesser vampires, it should be infantile easy for me."

He spread his wings and flew towards the lights of the almost-complete resort. In a couple of weeks, he would be as strong, if not stronger then before his attack on Kauai.

When the gang's 'business trip' to Hawaii didn't turn out that relaxing, despite using Lax's power on Uncle, going back to Section 13 didn't sound that great. However, Matt had come up with the idea of skipping out by going to Uncle's shop.

This had turned out to be a fatal error of the highest level as Uncle was researching why the demons were after apprentices...and the gang had been pressganged alongside the Chans and the Enforcers.

"Well how was I supposed to know that Uncle was a workaholic?" said Matt for probably the umpteenth time after he had gotten the evil eye for probably the same number of times.

"Maybe you should have listened to Jade? She did warn you...three times," said Chris angrily.

"I thought it was exaggeration," said Matt, "You know how kids blow everything out of proportion."

"And the Enforcers? Hell, even Jackie hinted. You really are an idiot," said Draco, not finishing the last part as Matt snapped.

"HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE APOLO-" Matt didn't even get to finish because Uncle interrupted with even greater crankiness, "IDLE CHIT-CHAT DOES NOT BANISH DEMONS! STOP COMPLAINING AND START WORKIIIING!"

"Ok...but Draco needs downtime," said Matt, before stuffing the semi-stunned Draco into a Ming vase.

"I don't see what you guys are whining about," said Chip, who had an open book in each of his six hands, "This isn't so hard."

Matt said happily, "You think Chip'll fit in the microwave?"

"Metal doesn't go in a microwave," said Chris.

"I know...but I've always been curious as to why," said Matt.

"Well, if you hadn't come up with the idea of coming here, he wouldn't be showing you up with his super-learning skill thing," said Chris. A slight eye twitch was all the warning Chris would get from Matt.

When the mailman came, he heard a loud ringing sound coming from Uncle's Rare Finds. He opened the door to look inside to see Matt using Chris's head to ring a gong many times. "Who's showing who up now, eh?" Matt was saying, before laughing insanely. He stopped as he saw the mailman and dropped the gibbering Chris to the floor. "Hi...can we help you?" he said cheerfully.

The mailman squeaked, "Post," before offering some envelopes in a shaking hand.

Matt took them and said, "Sorry about that, things are kinda chaotic around here."

"TOHRU, UNCLE NEEDS DRIED MUDSKIPPER FINS BEFORE HE DIES OF OLD AGE!" shouted Uncle's voice.

The mailman's nerves shattered at this, even worse when Draco popped his head out of the vase Matt had shoved him inside. He screamed and threw the mail down before fleeing. Draco and Chip watched him. "Wow...the mail service is really excitable around here," said Chip conversationally.

"Eh, it's probably that fat orange cat," said Draco, "That mailman has precious little self-esteem as it is."

Matt however was looking through the mail. "Oh...we may have already won $100,000," he said before finding what looked like a leaflet. "MoonFang resort?" he muttered, opening it only for a few passes to fall out. Matt picked up the passes and said, "Cool, free passes," before reading what the pamphlet says.

Chloe interrupted by saying, "There's only three passes and they all say 'Chan' on them."

"Eh, nothing a photo copier can't fix," said Matt.

"Uncle doesn't have a photo copier," said Chip, "The only thing I saw was a fax machine and it has a ton of evil banishment spell tag things taped all over it."

Everyone looked to grin at Chip. "Say, Chip...don't you have a copier feature?" said Draco, with a grin.

Chip gave them an annoyed look and said, "I think I was built for more sophisticated work than bootlegging resort passes."

Matt glared. "It's either that or the microwave," he said.

"Try a threat you can actually carry out," said Chip.

Matt was about to call out when Chloe surprisingly yelled, "GRAB HIM!"

Jackie was in the kitchen when Matt, Chloe, Chris, and Draco came in and started trying to push Chip into the microwave with moderate success; they were only struggling to shut the door on him.

"Uh, don't you know that you shouldn't put metal in a microwave?" asked Jackie.

"Nobody knows why. Chip has volunteered to find out why," said Matt with a manic look before saying, "Oh...these came for you," tossing the passes on the table with the leaflet.

Jackie looked at the passes and leaflet and said, "Ooh, free passes to the new resort by the coast, how nice. If only we had an extra pass for Tohru."

Matt sighed. "Such a shame. Chip here can...get a few extra passes, but he refused and volunteered for this experiment instead," he said.

Matt slowly moved one finger towards the start button when Chip yelled, "Alright, alright, I'll get your passes!"

Matt smiled. "Thank you. I knew you'd see it that way," he said, turning before tripping and hitting the start button anyway. "Oopsie," he said weakly.

A little while later, Chip was busy 'acquiring' the extra passes. Of course, he had a bit of trouble concentrating as his body gave off a jolt of electricity about every 15 seconds. That and he was covered in soot from the fact that the microwave had exploded. Tohru knocked on the door and peered in. "Mr. Chip? May I ask something?" he asked.

"If it has anything to do with PASTA!" started Chip.

"Excuse me?" asked Tohru.

"Sorry, ever since TAPIR Matt put me in the microwave I've been SAPPHIRE spouting random words every couple of FROSTBITE seconds," said Chip, his body crackling every time he shouted a random word.

Tohru nodded. He'd wondered what had blown up the microwave. "I understand you are arranging for passes to a holiday resort. I wondered if you would be able to arrange another one for my mother?" he asked.

"Oh sure, no MITOCHLORIN problem," said Chip.

Tohru nodded. "Thank you. I hope you feel better soon," he said, getting up and leaving.

"Yeah, you and me TYRANNOSAURUS both," said Chip sighing.

Later, the gang and Chans were getting ready to convince Uncle to come when they saw him already packed. "You're actually coming?" said Chris and was slapped.

"OF COURSE...UNCLE CANNOT STAY IN SHOP TILL KITCHEN IS REBUILT!"

"If you wanna hex someone about that, do it to him," said Chip, pointing at Matt.

"And who was it who refused to help?" retorted Matt.

"You could have gone for one of your less-hazardous threats," retorted Chip.

"It worked," said Matt, poking Chip at the same time Chip had an arc and got zapped.

"See Jade? There is such a thing as karma," said Jackie.

"Karma schmarma, this is funny," said Jade.

"I hurt..." rasped Matt.

Chip replied, "How do you think I MARMELADE feel?"

"Quit dilly-dallying! Uncle wants relaxation now!" snapped Uncle, "Uncle has heard there is mahjong at resort."

Chloe sighed and picked up Matt, tossing him into one of the taxis they'd hired as well as trying to ignore that Matt's luggage felt like it had a particle rifle in it.

"Where's Tohru?" asked Techo.

"He mentioned going to get some extra luggage," said Jackie, "We'll meet him at the resort."

"I wonder why the Enforcers backed out," said NegaMorph.

The resort itself looked quite impressive, several dozen modern looking beachside apartments, what looked like a spa, a small golf resort and a small 5 story building that seemed to be the main reception building. Tohru could be seen waiting for them with another figure.

Uncle was the first to get out of the taxi. "Tohru, what took you so long? How much baggage could you possibly be-" He let out a loud gasp as he spotted the small elderly Japanese woman standing next to Tohru. "YOU!" he cried pointing his finger.

"YOU! snapped the Japanese woman, pointing her finger. Matt could have sworn he heard a thunderclap and lightning sparking between the two of them.

Chris said, "Do they know each other?" The group watched as Uncle and the woman glared at each other. Matt was certain a faint heat haze was forming between their gazes.

"Um, this is my mother," said Tohru.

"Tohru, you did not say that smelly billy goat was coming!" snapped the Japanese woman.

"Tohru, you did not say ancient crabapple was coming!" snapped Uncle.

"Ah, they've met," said Matt and yelped as Chloe kicked his ankle.

Chloe said, "Good morning, Mrs. Tohru's mother. My name is Chloe Lynch...the nutter is my brother," she pointed to Matt.

"Hmph! Not nuttier than billy goat," said Mama Tohru, "He think he can sell worthless junk."

Chloe's smile went glassy. "Ok..." she said in a faint voice before saying to Jackie, "How do we stop these two fighting?"

"Keep them in different cities," said Jackie.

"We tried everything," said Jade.

"Oh...smeg it," Chloe said.

Chris said, "Looks like some kinda welcome reception in the main building."

Red Moon looked down at the various people in the reception hall before him. His human form was that of the previous owner of the reception, suitably named Dr. Lunaris. "Hello, fellow hu...cust...people and welcome to MoonFang Point," he said.

"Hey, your leaflet said there was a firing range, where is it?" said a familiar voice.

Red Moon's thought was, 'Oh no...it can't be...not that guy...it's impossible.' Red Moon slowly turned around to confirm his fears. The mercenaries and experiments were there, the luggage indicating they're guests. They even had that oddly-shaped black one with them.

"I brought my particle rifle all this way and there's no...mmmph," began Matt, only for Chloe to gag him and beat him down.

Red Moon hadn't lived as long as he had by panicking at the first sign of trouble. He kept calm and reminded himself 'There's no way they'll know it's me. They probably think I'm still a disembodied ghost stuck in limbo.'

He managed to get his train of thought back. "I am afraid that the firing range was never finished," he said. The female member of Matt's crew seemed to be relieved at this.

"Where is game room?" snapped the old Chinese man, "Uncle came to play mahjong."

"Ha! Eager to get your pants beat off?" said the old Japanese woman.

Red Moon watched with mortified fascination as the two started arguing again. 'Wow...and I thought me and Dark Fang argued,' he thought before saying, "Erm...it's at the Spa..."

"Ah, how fortunate, cause billy goat will need new face when I'm done," snapped Mama Tohru.

"And Uncle will still look better than you!" snapped Uncle.

Red Moon walked down towards them. "Please...try to settle this in a normal...urk," he said, going green as he got a strong smell of garlic from Uncle's baggage. "By the lunar cycles, what the hell did you bring?" he choked.

"Ha! I told you garlic was too much!" said Mama Tohru.

"That because you old vampire! Why don't you turn into bat? Much easier on Uncle's eyes that way."

Red Moon coughed loudly. "Please...take it away...I'm allergic..." he gagged.

Matt wandered up. "It doesn't smell that...oh smegging hell," he said, getting a blast of the smell.

"Tohru, take bags!" said Uncle.

"Yes, sensei," said Tohru.

"You don't tell my baby what to do," said Mama Tohru, "Tohru, take the bags!"

"Yes, mommy," said Tohru.

Red Moon said weakly, "Damn. Never in all my existence have I smelled that much garlic."

Matt in a rare sense of agreement said, "That's just the first bag.

Red Moon made a fast escape. There had been another reason for his gag attack. The old man had stunk of good magic.

"So does this mean we're not getting bellhops?" asked Draco.

Red Moon muttered, "Ten bellhops if you go away and don't thwart me."

Draco said, "Pardon?" and Red Moon said more loudly, "Of course..." and clicked his fingers. Luckily, he had shades on so nobody saw his eyes glow red as he called for some minions.

Immediately, a group of bellhops walked over to the group in a rather autonomous fashion. "Whoa, looks like these guys could use some time in the tanning beds," said Jade.

Matt handed one of them a bag. "Word of advice, mate...for God's sake, don't drop it," he said. The bellhop nodded dumbly and walked away with the bag. "Wow...now that's job focus," said Matt.

Red Moon immediately retreated to his office. "I'm going to have to do something about that mercenary and his friends," he said to himself after he had shut the door, "I don't want Lynch to spoil everything I've planned here."

"Hmm...if I had a piece of gold for every time I said that," said an ethereal voice. Red Moon spun around and spotted a large undead wyvern levitating near his desk.

Red Moon glared and readied a spell to vaporize the intruder. "Who are you? And also give me a good reason why I should not strip your soul from that rotting corpse you inhabit," he said.

"Father, don't you recognize me?" said the dragon, "It's me, Zyvar."

"Zyvar? That dragon a Shar-Khan killed with a blast furnace? I heard Echidra chose someone...but you?" said Red Moon.

Ghoulwyrm frowned and said, "I didn't quite have the best start off, but I am a far more credible threat now."

"Humph...and why are you here? I have enough trouble as it is," said Red Moon, angrily.

"To assist you of course," said Ghoulwyrm, "As an honorable son should."

"Fine...and how would you deal with the sort of problems I have without attracting...attention?" said Red Moon in a 'this had better be very good' tone of voice. Both creatures had a good idea what the unwanted 'attention' would be.

"Well, the first part is simple," said Ghoulwyrm, "Have your minions treat them as genuine guests. As long as they don't suspect anything's wrong with the resort, they won't have reason to investigate."

"Yes...but I know from experience that their leader has a suspicious nature. It won't hold forever. If I had a few more werepyre minions..." said Red Moon coldly.

Ghoulwyrm thought for a minute before getting a sneaky grin. "Have you noticed the young woman who had similar features to him?" he asked.

"Yes, now that you mention it," said Red Moon.

"Well, I think you may have met her before, with purple fur I think," said Ghoulwyrm.

"That was General Silvia? I remember her too well," said Red Moon.

"Yes, and the most interesting part is that her real identity is Chloe Lynch, Matthew's younger sister," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Really?" said Red Moon before sighing. "So...I kill her and her brother vaporizes my new body, try again," he added in an annoyed voice.

"No, no, no," said Ghoulwyrm, "You're thinking too destructively. We don't make her a target, we use her as leverage. Haven't you ever read 'Dracula'?"

"Yes...I always knew that guy would sell one of his life stories," said Red Moon.

"Well, don't just try to manipulate her, sway her over," said Ghoulwyrm, "I would do it myself if Lynch hadn't ruined my charm." He pulled at the grey skin on his neck to indicate this.

Red Moon nodded in sympathy. "He pushed me in an unstable portal," he said.

"Well, at least you still look good," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Hmm...it has been a while since I had a companion," said Red Moon thoughtfully.

"There you go, that's the ticket," said Ghoulwyrm, "And while you're busy with her, I think I have a spell that could really benefit us."

"Hmm? You always were...experimental with magic even when you were alive. What do you have in mind?" said Red Moon.

The gang had actually spent a decent night's sleep in the resort, though Tohru's mother and Uncle had found a mahjong board somewhere.

"Ha! In your face!" said Uncle as he laid a winning combo.

"Bah, big deal, you're still not the big cheese," said Mama Tohru, "Rematch now!"

Chloe groaned. "You've been at it all night...do something else, please!" she wailed. She had been next door and had been kept awake all night.

"Chloe is right, it's time to find a new game to whoop you at," said Mama Tohru.

"Ha, you'll have to look very far to find game Uncle cannot win at," said Uncle.

The others had however noticed something weird. "Hey...where's the mirror?" called Matt from the bathroom.

"Don't look at me, I don't steal mirrors," said NegaMorph, "Not worth much at all."

"Weird, I could understand the garlic but mirrors?" said Matt.

Techo came in, yawning from going for a walk round the resort. "Hey, I just took a peek around, everything's closed," he said.

"What? We're not up that early, are we?" asked Jackie.

"No, I saw an opening time...7am," said Techo, in an annoyed tone.

A savage-sounding snarl was heard. The group looked around expecting a monster. NegaMorph sighed and said, "Hold your fire, that was my stomach."

"Yes...too early for suspicions...Matthew need food," said Matt, yawning.

The menu for breakfast was also a bit weird. "Black pudding for breakfast?" said Matt, looking at the menu.

"Mmm...pudding..." said Morph, drooling a little. Matt whispered what black pudding was made from. Morph shrugged and put some fake vampire fangs in before digging in.

"Normally, I'd question the choice of breakfast food here," said NegaMorph, "But I'm too hungry. Give me that stuff!" He snatched a bowl and ate the contents in one gulp.

Matt managed to stop him before NegaMorph also swallowed the bowl too before choosing some bacon. "Something weird's going on here," Matt said.

"You're being paranoid," said Chip automatically.

"Yeah...that what you always say, then it's facehuggers or undead or empire robots or dragons...all wanting us dead," said Matt darkly.

"Matt, it's a resort," said Jackie, "Evil is not lurking here waiting to trap us."

"Hah...Jade told me about your last holiday on the cruise ship," said Matt accusingly.

"That was different, there was a group of thieves after the statue in the vault," said Jackie. There was a loud cry of victory from Mama Tohru when she had beaten Uncle at tic-tac-toe again. "Of course, the atmosphere isn't that much different," said Jackie.

"Hmm...I'm just happy I brought some of my gear," said Matt.

Chloe had wandered off to take a look around the resort. She wouldn't admit it but she did smell a rat. Something was off but she couldn't place a finger on it. She was so lost in thought that she walked into Dr. Lunaris.

"Oh, sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," said Chloe, rubbing her eyes.

Dr. Lunaris smiled. "Pay it no mind. Neither was I. Are you quite alright? You look positively exhausted."

"Oh, it's nothing, a pair of competitive old geezers kept me up all night," said Chloe.

"Ah...the wise always tend to be competitive," said Dr. Lunaris wisely before saying, "Have we met?"

"Uh, I don't think so," said Chloe.

Dr. Lunaris grinned. "Of course. I am sure I would remember meeting such a beauty," he said.

In a more alert mood, Chloe would probably reply with a cold shoulder and atom-splitting-sharp wit. Instead, her face blushed noticeably and said, "Well, I'm no fashion model..."

"Oh, you do yourself injustice. I have a spare seat at my table at dinner tonight. Would you do me the honor of joining me?"

"Well...I...uh..." Chloe was rather unprepared for this kind of thing. Sure, girls were expected to be asked for dinner, but she never imagined herself in that position.

Dr. Lunaris said, "Oh, I'm sorry, if you have something else planned..."

"Oh no, no, I'm available," said Chloe.

"Marvelous...dinner will be served at 9pm tonight. Feel free to make use of the local tailors," Dr. Lunaris said, looking at Chloe's combat fatigues.

"Oh, uh, of course," said Chloe, her blush becoming more prominent.

Dr Lunaris/Red Moon watched her walk off and smirked to himself. "Ten thousand years and I've still got it," he muttered to himself.

As Chloe was walking back, she came across Jade, Megan, Gary, and the experiments. "Hey Chloe, we're off to the spa. Wanna join us?" said Megan.

"Don't go near the tennis court," said Jade, "Uncle and Tohru's mom are tearing it up in there."

Chloe said, "I might...erm...where's my brother?" before wincing as there was an explosion.

"Firing range," said Gary.

"Maybe I should keep him in check..." said Chloe. About five seconds later, a burning clay pigeon landed between Chloe and Gary. "Hmm...maybe he needs to let off some steam?" said Chloe.

"I'd give that place the same clearance I'd give the tennis court," said Jade.

Chloe shrugged as a burning Morph landed next to the pigeon. "Matt's in a touchy mood," said Morph, snuffing out the candle flame on his head.

"Well, it couldn't be worse than Uncle and Tohru's mom, right?" asked Chloe.

There was a gentle whistling noise and then a tennis ball bounced off Gary's skull with a hollow ringing noise. "Of course, I've been wrong before," said Chloe, nervously.

"Aaaaand...he's down," said Draco as Gary fell over, knocked out by the blow.

Chloe sighed. "Well...I'd better find this tailor place," she said before telling the others about Dr. Lunaris.

"Awww, Chloe's got a dinner date," said Morph. Chloe glared and zapped Morph, sending him flying back towards the firing range.

"Now that was too cruel," said Megan. A few seconds later, an explosion sent Morph flying into the tennis court.

"No, that is too cruel," said Chip.

Later, back at the apartments the gang had gone, Chloe had just finished getting ready, dressed in a midnight black dinner dress. Matt had taken over the TV and turned to look. "Hmm...why're you dressed in that...well...dress?" he asked.

"For your information, I'm having dinner with Dr. Lunaris," said Chloe.

"That guy? Why?" said Matt, shortly.

"For one thing, he's a gentleman," said Chloe.

"And I'm not?" said Matt accusingly before his brain realized what he said. "...Ignore that."

"Is it so wrong to want to have a nice, quiet dinner?" asked Chloe.

Matt shrugged, "Guess not, out of character though."

Chloe glared. "Out of character?" she said dangerously.

Matt missed this warning sign and said, "Just be careful...something seems off about the doctor."

"Jealous?" said Chloe as she headed for the door.

Matt was speechless as Chloe walked out. "Am not," he finally said sulkily.

However, Matt was not above keeping a covert eye on the doctor, having pressganged NegaMorph and Chris into helping. "Is this a good idea?" said NegaMorph as the trio peered out to see Dr. Lunaris walk out of the central office and head for the restaurant.

"Better feel Chloe's wrath than let her safety be at risk," said Matt.

"Wise words, Confucian?" The three of them turned to see Jade.

Matt managed not to yell. "Thank you, I always wanted a heart attack. Why are you here?" said Matt.

"Tch, you wanna spend time with Uncle and Tohru's mom?" said Jade, "The television can't be turned up loud enough."

"Point taken," said Chris.

They watched as Dr. Lunaris walked down the street. "After the good doctor," whispered Matt.

Fortunately, it wasn't too hard to keep up with Lunaris and remain hidden as well. The small group ended up hiding in the restaurants parking lot, watching as Lunaris spoke to a trio of the resort security before going inside. Matt peered at the window to see Chloe already there.

"Ok, here's the plan..." said Matt. A creepy hissing sound was heard.

"What kind of creepy plan is that?" said NegaMorph.

"I haven't said the plan yet..." said Matt before peering up over the car to see the security guards walking towards them with glowing red eyes.

"Erm...tell me that's just IR Goggles," said Chris.

"I think I saw this in a movie once," said Jade, "'Vampire Mobsters', uh, don't tell Jackie I've seen it."

The last one however began to change into a more bestial form. "Did it come with werewolves?" said Matt, pulling out his blaster.

"Uh, yeah, but they were the vampires' enemies," said Jade.

"Like every other vampire fiction," said NegaMorph, rolling his eyes.

The trio charged at the group, despite Matt and Chris opening fire. "UNDEAD...BLOODY UNDEAD!" yelled Matt, aiming a punch at one of the vamp-guards.

Chris was busy with the bestial one. "Boy I wish I had an attack dog with me right now," said Chris.

"And what are you? A Pomeranian?" demanded NegaMorph.

Chris said, "Oh yeah," and turned to his own werewolf form.

The last vamp-guard lunged at NegaMorph. "Eat garlic, ghoul-face!" said NegaMorph as he shoved one of Uncle's garlic bulbs into the vampire's snarling mouth. The vamp made a gurgling noise and fell backwards out cold, scrabbling at the garlic bulb in its mouth before passing out.

Matt took advantage of this to grab his opponent's head and bash the vamp's face into the front of a car repeatedly till it stopped moving. "Uh, you do know vampires can't be killed that way, right?" said Jade.

"Yup but they can be rendered out cold. This is our proof that Dr. Lunaris is up to something. These are the guys he was talking to," said Matt, slapping some energy cuffs on the unconscious vamp. There was a crash as Chris tossed his opponent into the side of a SUV.

"Quit fooling around, Chris," said NegaMorph.

Chris growled before punching the semi-stunned werewolf between the eyes, knocking him out before changing back. "Right, let's go see Chloe and shoot Dr. Lunaris in the kneecap," said Matt.

Meanwhile, Chloe was enjoying her meal with Dr. Lunaris. The man had been a perfect gentleman from the start.

"So...what is your profession Miss Lynch?" said Dr Lunaris pleasantly.

"Oh, um, I'm in the security business," said Chloe.

Dr. Lunaris seemed interested. "Oh...a family business, is it? I trust the slightly-unstable young man that tailed me here is your brother," he said, pleasantly.

"Well, he may seem nuts sometimes, but he's really- He did what?" said Chloe.

"He followed me here. I said to a few of my security staff to send him back to his apartment," said Dr. Lunaris and noticed Chloe's look get paler. "Is something wrong?"

"My brother has...issues with authority," said Chloe.

There was a crashing noise outside. "WHAT ON EARTH?" yelled Dr. Lunaris, jumping up.

A waiter backed up as Matt, Chris, Jade, and NegaMorph (NegaMorph luckily wearing a disguise) came in. "UNDEAD!" yelled Matt, pointing at Dr. Lunaris.

"He doesn't really mean 'undead'. What he mean was something like 'scoundrel'," said NegaMorph to the other people in the restaurant.

"HE COMMANDS THE LEGIONS OF THE NI...ow," began Matt until Chris hit him on the back of the head.

"What are you doing here?" said Chloe through gritted teeth.

"He set some of his undead minions on us...erm...I can prove it," said Matt, snatching a garlic clove off NegaMorph and throwing it at Dr. Lunaris.

However, Matt's aim was off and it hit his forehead instead. Lunaris was knocked back out of his chair and onto the floor. "Um, he's unconscious, that means he's a vampire," said Jade.

Chloe ran over to Lunaris. "You ok?" she said.

Dr. Lunaris said in a distant happy voice, his eyes spinning, "Mr Stoker...when did you arrive...and you brought custard...bleeeh."

"See? Undead," said Matt.

Chloe snapped. "You...IDIOTS! HOW DARE YOU DO THIS? HE'S ABOUT AS UNDEAD AS YOU ARE!" she yelled, advancing on the group.

"Um, Chloe, let's not fly off the handle," said NegaMorph hesitatingly.

"Give me one good reason why," Chloe said, her teeth changing to her dragon form's own.

NegaMorph whispered, "Cause dragons cause comment?"

Chloe stopped her advance and exhaled heavily out of her nostrils. "Just...get out now. You are so lucky this is a public place," she growled.

"But..." began Chris.

Chloe snarled, "I'll be back when I'm back," causing Chris to back up.

"Uh, let's not test our luck," said NegaMorph.

Matt said, "Wait...we have proof tied up in the parking lot...come on." He grabbed Chloe and started dragging her along. Dr. Lunaris got up unsteadily and also followed. Matt dragged Chloe out into the parking lot. "See, we totally captured a bunch of-"

"Valets," interrupted Chloe.

The security guards were there, that was the good point, however they appeared properly human...if a bit mangled. A couple of other guards were there. "We just found em like this, doctor," said one of them

"But-they-we-" started Matt, "I'M NOT CRAZY!"

Chloe looked ready to explode. "Go...away…" she hissed.

"...ok," said Matt in a defeated tone.

Jackie was surprised when Matt and co wandered back to the apartment looking depressed. "Er, did something happen?" asked Jackie.

NegaMorph said, "We got undead...and we think the good doctor's commanding them. Chloe didn't believe us and our evidence ran away."

"Uncle knows we have undead," said Uncle, "Been trying to defeat vampire lady all day."

"We don't mean Tohru's mum. We're talking the real deal: werewolves, vampires, and it's probably only a matter of time before zombies too," said Matt.

"Ah, that different matter," said Uncle, taking a more serious tone, "What kind of creature did you see?"

"There were two vampire security guards...and Chris can give a very accurate rendition of the werewolf," said Matt.

"Hmm, does not sound Chinese, out of jurisdiction," said Uncle.

"The last time we faced werewolves and vampires together was when Red Moon invaded the BiNebular last year," said Chris.

"Who's Red Moon?" asked Jade.

"Nasty monster called a werepyre. Hybrid of vampire and werewolf and the temperament of NegaMorph after Morph did that Polka rendition," said Matt.

"Sounds like a real horror king," said Jade.

"He was, he almost took over Lilo's home," said Chris.

Then NegaMorph checked the clock to see it was 8 am. "Have we really been up that long?" asked NegaMorph, "It looks more like midnight to me. The clocks must be busted."

Draco and Chip wandered out of the apartment, looking up. "Erm...Chip? Does that moon look familiar?"

Matt looked up. "It's just a hunters moon," he said.

"Yes, but a lunar eclipse isn't due for another four months," said Chip, pointing out the moon's red coloration.

"Oh boy...better then a calling card. I knew that doctor was up to something," said Matt.

"Let's not jump to conclusions," said NegaMorph, "Red Moon's a spirit trapped between dimensions, remember?"

"So? Malefor was in the same boat. Remember him?" said Matt.

"As if I could forget," said NegaMorph.

"I bet that doctor knows where Red Moon's hanging out. This time we can get the drop on HIM," said Matt, before going pale. "My sister's with that nutball," he said before running off.

Chris sighed. "I'll go get him," he said running after Matt.

"Uncle will make protection spells. Vampires are very tricky," said Uncle.

Techo said, "Why don't we just shoot em? That reminds me...Draco, did we keep the Silverbane Cannon? Might be a good time to dust it off."

"Uh, I think it's in the ship's vault," said Draco.

"Oh great, of all the times for Matt...wait, Matt never leaves guns in the vault now...in case NegaMorph sold it," said Techo, running off to find Matt's things.

Meanwhile, Chloe was walking with Lunaris in the resort's park. "I am so sorry about my brother," said Chloe, "He's overprotective to a fault."

"I can understand why you are angry. I haven't spoken with my brother for a long time." said Lunaris, a partial truth present in those words.

"Oh, I'm so sorry about that," said Chloe.

"Yes...we had a conflict of opinions," said Lunaris. The path had led the duo back towards the central admin tower where Lunaris's office was.

"Don't you ever get lonely?" asked Chloe.

"Yes...it is lonely sometimes. I have to do most of my work at night and sometimes it's nice to have company to help out," said Lunaris. "Would you like to see what my work involves?" asked Lunaris, indicating the door of the tower.

Chloe shrugged. "Why not? It's better then hearing Uncle and Tohru's mom fighting," she said. As she walked in, Lunaris/Red Moon changed his hand back and muttered the first stage of the spell he would need. Chloe paused and put a hand to the side of her head. "Whoa, I just had a weird dizzy spell," she said.

"Here, let me help you, my dear." said Lunaris/Red Moon with a smirk. He nodded to the guards. "No interruptions," he said.

Chris caught up with Matt near the resort admin building. Matt was practically frothing, having seen Lunaris and Chloe go inside. "Matt, don't go charging in. It's probably not as bad as you could think," said Chris.

"Bum to that. The little jerk's going out with my sister and he's evil...now he dies!" yelled Matt.

Ghoulwyrm wiped his brow. He had finished the eternal night spell for this area and it was exhausting work. "I need a drink," he said, "I think I'll have that maid I've been saving for later."

There were several fighting noises from the main hall next door. "Dammit...if it's another encyclopedia salesman..." muttered Ghoulwyrm, flying through the door only for a security guard to hit the wall next to him. Ghoulwyrm looked through the door and saw Matt and Chris thrashing around the guards. "Figures as much," said Ghoulwyrm.

A second guard bounced off Ghoulwyrm who sighed. "Father did say no interruptions," he said and charged Matt. A second later, he found himself upside down against a wall. "Ok...need a new approach," he muttered. The real insult had been Matt had not even noticed he'd grabbed Ghoulwyrm before tossing him.

As Ghoulwyrm got back up, he could sense the anger coming off of Matt like an inferno, and it wasn't the usual 'I-hate-undead' rage, but something a lot more serious. Matt turned to finally see Ghoulwyrm. "YOU...I knew you'd turn up. Where the hell is Red Moon?" he said angrily.

"What makes you think that Red Moon is here?" asked Ghoulwyrm. To his surprise, Matt grabbed Ghoulwyrm by the neck in a stranglehold.

"Because if it turns that you're behind all this, you're going to wish that you were never brought back to life," snarled Matt.

Ghoulwyrm quickly weighed up his options. On the first side, there was loyalty to his 'father' Red Moon...but on the other side, there was an urge to not be torn to tiny bits. He quickly got an idea to 'tell' without betraying Red Moon and make sure the second spell stage completed. "Lunaris is behind it," he said.

Matt's grip got tighter. "Where is he?" he demanded.

"Top...floor...his...office...please let go now," said Ghoulwyrm in a squeaky voice, going bug eyed. Matt let go alright, after swinging Ghoulwyrm around and sending him flying into a wall. "Thank you," rasped Ghoulwyrm before slowly sliding down the wall and deciding a nice rest in the land of unconsciousness was needed.

Meanwhile, Chloe and Lunaris were in his office, Lunaris/Red Moon preparing a 'special' drink for his guest. "I'm not much of a wine-drinker," said Chloe.

"Oh...this will help you clear that awful dizzy spell," said Lunaris, with a smirk.

"Good, I don't normally get dizzy spells," said Chloe.

Lunaris gave her the glass and watched as she drank it. He turned as he heard the sound of a scuffle outside his door. "What the?" he said. He was shocked as the door burst open and Matt walked in, blaster in hand.

Chloe spat out the drink that was in her mouth and said, "Matt? What are you doing here?"

"Taking out the trash," said Matt, before shooting Lunaris, sending him sprawling behind his desk.

"Are you out of your mind?" demanded Chloe.

"No...he's the one who set those undead on us. Hell, we just ran into Ghoulwyrm downstairs," said Matt, walking around the desk, with his blaster at the ready.

"Undead? Ghoulwyrm? Honestly, are you really that obsessed with protecting me?" said Chloe.

"It's true," said Chris, running in out of breath.

Matt sighed. "This is not about you. You think I'd really shoot someone for no reason?" he said before noticing a red tinge spreading through Chloe's eyes.

"My god, you two just can't deal with the thought of me being alone with another guy for 10 minutes, can you?" snapped Chloe.

"This is not about you. Take a look at the moon, does that look right to you...given it's nearly 9am?" said Matt, dragging her to look at the moon.

Chloe looked at the moon but didn't say anything. "Uh, Matt," said Chris, "Don't you remember what triggers a werewolf's transformation?"

"What? She's not a werewolf...say, why do you ask?" said Matt, turning to look at Chris. 'Lunaris' immediately started to laugh, made impressive given there was a six inch hole through his chest. "Well, that cinches it," said Matt, "He's an undead."

"Not just ANY undead," said Lunaris, his grin showing a mouthful of fangs.

"Oh no...I know that dentistry," said Matt, aiming his blaster at Lunaris as the doctor began to change. The doctor's bulging muscles quickly tore through the clothes, revealing black fur underneath. However, they really gave way when the bat wings and wolf tail grew out. "Oh bugger...Red Moon...how's it hanging?" said Matt.

"Far better than where you last left me," said Red Moon, "Especially now that I have my Night Ruby."

"Pardon?" said Matt before a fist grabbed him and tossed him across the room to land next to Chris. "Ok...ow?" said Matt.

Chris looked at Chloe who shaking all over and her eyes were glowing red. "This can't be good," he said. Chloe's body shuddered more as it started to swell in size, only not for going into dragon form. Her dress quickly filled up and ripped around her furry muscles as her body went from human to lupine. "Chloe's not gonna be happy about that," said Chris.

"Ok, Red Moon, now we have to kill you...erm...again," said Matt, sending the last part lamely.

Red Moon smirked. "I don't think so. Your sister is no longer...what is your word...available," he said before focusing his gaze of Chris who had a familiar aura around him. "I see we have another werewolf in our presence," said Red Moon.

Matt stopped and he and Chris looked at each other and both said, "Uh oh."

Red Moon smirked and turned to Chloe, "My dear, would you do the honors?"

Matt looked towards Chloe, who pretty much now looked like a female version of Red Moon wearing the tattered remains of her dress. "Gladly, master," she said in a creepy voice.

Chris gulped before his eyes went red and he shifted to werewolf form and turned to snarl at Matt. "Chris...it's me, Matt. Get a grip!" he yelled and was grabbed round the throat. "Wrong kind of grip," he gasped.

Red Moon laughed and said, "Why don't you show our 'guest' the window?"

"No. Don't show the guest the window," gasped Matt before managing to kick off to land on the window ledge. "TA DA! Hit me with your best shot!" he said and was knocked flying as Chloe tossed the office desk at him.

Meanwhile, Jackie and NegaMorph were looking for Matt and Chris. "Do you really think this Red Moon is behind this?" asked Jackie.

"No idea," said NegaMorph, "I saw his body disintegrate before my eyes. Then again, the same applied to that Shendu guy, right?"

The group came into view of the admin tower in time for a small figure to be sent flying out the top window on what appeared to be an office desk to land and subsequently flatten a sports car. At the same time, several blasts flew out towards the apartments.

"That be Matt, I reckon," said NegaMorph.

The desk went flying into the air on a plasma beam and a familiar dragon tore himself out the wreckage. "When I get my talons on that flying fox..." snarled Matt.

So your suspicions were right?" asked NegaMorph.

"It was Red Moon...and he's...werepyre'd Chloe," snarled Matt.

"Where's Chris though?" asked Jackie. A second later, the red eyed Chris landed in front of Jackie.

"There he is," said NegaMorph weakly.

"He's a werewolf?" shouted Jackie.

"Didn't we mention that?" asked NegaMorph.

"No you didn't!" said Jackie, dodging a slash from Chris.

Chris snarled and tried to claw Jackie again. "I didn't think Red Moon would be able to take over Chris," said NegaMorph.

"Neither did I," said Matt, landing with the full weight of his dragon form on top of Chris. That certainly pinned Chris down, but it didn't take the fight out of him. Chris snarled and tried to claw his way out from under Matt. Matt settled for bringing his left forepaw down on Chris's head. Matt hit Chris again, actually forcing his head to create an imprint. Chris made a confused whine, his eyes spinning. "Do you think he's subdued yet?" said Matt.

"For now," said NegaMorph.

Matt nodded and grabbed Chris as two shapes flew out of the top of the tower.

The others' vacation was rudely canceled when the other guests and hotel staff suddenly turned into ghouls and attacked. After a quick escape, the group holed themselves up in the town's old church.

"Look...they can't get us here," said Techo to Uncle.

"Uncle not afraid of ghouls," said Uncle, "You left my ingredients behind. And worst of all, you let ghoul in with us!"

Techo looked at where Uncle was pointing and said, "That's Tohru's mom."

There was the sound of a loud thump outside before someone knocked. "Hello? Techo, If you don't let me in, I'll blow the door open."

Techo was about to open it when Jade said, "Wait, it could be a trick. How do we know that's the real Matt?"

"Let me in right now or I'll put spiderbots in your bed!" yelled Matt.

"That's Matt alright," said Draco, opening the door.

Matt, with Chris over his shoulder, ran in with Jackie and NegaMorph behind them. "SHUT THE DOOR!" yelled Matt, as several werewolf ghouls ran into view. Morph grabbed his mallet and started whacking ghoul heads that tried to get in. Matt threw a plasma ball at one werewolf then hit another with the closest in range...Chris.

However, the werewolf ghouls kept pushing in, until several green blasts sent them flying. Matt looked back to see Uncle holding his blowfish. "What are you waiting for? Uncle is getting draft," said Uncle.

Matt shut the door and said, "I told you seafood was dangerous," in a small voice.

"So did you find out who was behind it?" asked Jade.

"Dr Lunaris aka, Red Moon." said Matt.

"Then what happened to Chloe?" asked Contrinus.

Matt went silent at this. NegaMorph said "Red Moon..." and left it at that.

"Then how about we take a stake to that werepyre's butt?" said Jade.

"Uh, a stake in the butt doesn't do anything," said Chip.

"It hurts though," said Draco.

"I just want to kill him..." said Matt dully.

"So does this mean that Chris is under Red Moon's control too?" asked Techo.

"Ah, thanks for reminding me," said Matt as Chris was starting to come around. Matt blasted Chris across the church. "Where were we...ah yes. Well, Chris is not under Red Moon's control, more under Chloe's."

"Chloe? But I thought Red Moon had her as his prisoner," said Tohru.

"Perhaps I should elaborate," said NegaMorph, "He turned her into a werepyre. He called her Night Ruby."

"Ok, didn't see that coming," said Draco.

"Mhm...neither did Matt," said NegaMorph, nodding to where Matt had walked to sit in a corner.

"Matt, all is not lost," said Jackie, "We defeat Red Moon and free your sister and friend."

Matt sighed. "I hope so," he said.

Back at the admin's office, Red Moon was watching Ghoulwyrm preparing ingredients in a cauldron. "How much longer will this take?" asked Red Moon.

"This is not as simple as it looks. I had to substitute some ingredients. All the western vamps were wiped out here years ago. I had to use chi vampires," said Ghoulwyrm testily.

"How do you know that will work?" asked Red Moon.

"Well...it might mean that damn old man's chi spells will affect her," said Ghoulwyrm, taking a beaker and filling it with the almost tar-colored liquid. "Pure shadow, perfect for insta-dark side, after she kills a relative of course," he said.

"'Insta-dark side'?" said Red Moon with a smirk on his face, "You're starting to sound like that mercenary."

Ghoulwyrm glared. "It's simple: she eats her brother, she's your precious consort, Night Ruby, forever. Get it now?" he said in an annoyed voice.

"Sounds perfect to me," said Red Moon, "Gets rid of two birds with one stone."

Night Ruby came in at that. "Dear? What are you doing in here? Our minions still have to get past that church perimeter," she said.

"Er, planning out the final assault," said Red Moon.

"Uh, Father, there may be a slight chance it isn't fool-proof," said Ghoulwyrm.

Red Moon pushed Ghoulwyrm away before offering the beaker to Night Fury, before taking a beakerful himself. "To our victory, my dear," he said, them both drinking before kissing.

Ghoulwyrm grumbled to himself and started floating off. "Don't expect me to call her 'Mom'," he grumbled before floating through a wall.

Red Moon was sure he heard Ghoulwyrm muttering about 'getting a room'. Red Moon smirked as he saw the second potion go to work. "Now then, my dear, I think I have the perfect first meal for you," he said.

"Good, because I'm starving," said Night Ruby.

Back at the church, Uncle had cooked up an anti-mind control talisman to stop Red Moon transforming them into minions...though the active ingredient was a problem. "Why does everything you do have garlic in it?" said Matt.

"Garlic is key ingredient for much chi magic," said Uncle as he dropped another clove in, "And it is good for you."

"At least it'll stop sneak attacks," said Matt, turning his helmet's gas mask feature on.

"This isn't so bad," said Chip.

"That's because you don't have a nose," said Draco, who was pinching his shut.

Matt looked out the window to see Ghoulwyrm holding a white flag...or what was probably a flag. He opened the door and blasted Ghoulwyrm before saying, "Can we help you?"

Ghoulwyrm weakly said, "Parley..."

The group started at Ghoulwyrm for a moment before Jade said, "Let's see if he's got garlic allergies."

"I'll hold him down," said NegaMorph.

"Hold it. I come on behalf of my father under the magical laws. You're not allowed to shoot me till I finish," said Ghoulwyrm, backing up.

"Wrong," said Matt cheerfully, throwing another plasma ball.

"Will you let me speak?" snapped Ghoulwyrm.

"In a minute," said Matt, before blowing Ghoulwyrm's head off so it bounced around and stopped at Matt's feet. "There, you're disarmed...and dislegged...and disbodied. Now you can talk," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm glared up at Matt and said, "Do you want your staking sister back or not?"

Matt picked up Ghoulwyrm. "Why should we trust you?" he said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"Would I really come on my own if I had nothing to offer?" said Ghoulwyrm.

"Yes, you never come without something up your sleeves. Which is why I removed said sleeves," said Matt, before turning to Uncle. "You think he'd be more talkative if we cooked him in the church kitchen?" he said with a smirk

"Uncle does not recommend it," said Uncle, "Looks very rotten."

"Ha, not as rotten as your tennis-playing skills," snapped Mama Tohru.

Ghoulwyrm and Matt watched as the two started arguing. "Fine...why would you want to screw up Red Moons plan?" said Matt, lifting Ghoulwyrm up to eye level.

"Because I can't stomach any more of him making out with Night Ruby," said Ghoulwyrm.

A second later, Ghoulwyrm was thrown across the room, into the kitchen where he bounced off the wall and landed in a saucepan that closed over him. "Ooook...maybe I should have sugar coated that," he said from inside the pan.

"If he landed in a pot, can someone put it on broil?" called Matt.

Techo lifted the lid. "Matt's in a bad mood. What's your offer?" he said cheerfully, adding, "Or you can talk to Matt some more."

"Er, you will be fine," said Ghoulwyrm, "I can arrange for a clear shot at Night Ruby so you can get her back."

NegaMorph didn't look impressed. "Yeah...remember how my 'clear shot' went?" he said in a sarcastic voice.

"It worked out in the end, didn't it?" said Techo.

"Barely...if the NSC hadn't interrupted, I'd have gotten the lot of you," said NegaMorph, a hint of pride in his voice.

"Uh, let's not get into that," said Techo, "Don't think we'd want to reopen old wounds around here."

Matt looked into the pot at Ghoulwyrm with a plasma ball ready to drop inside. "Ok...how do we know this isn't a trap? A fairly obvious one, I might add," said Matt.

"I may be your only chance," said Ghoulwyrm, "You'll probably never be able to get through Red Moon's army. And if you don't stop him, this world will be swallowed in darkness."

"Blah, blah, blah, world domination, blah," said Matt, dropping the plasma ball in before shutting the lid. "It's worth checking out anyhow," he said ignoring the angry swearwords from the pot.

"We better prepare if it's a trap," said Jackie.

"What do you mean 'if'? Of course it's a trap," said Matt, "That was one of the lousiest lie attempts I've ever heard. Plus, our last 'clear shot' at rescuing Chloe didn't work out so well."

"What did happen?" asked Jade.

"Our ship was blown up and we ended up in the middle of a full on-space battle," replied Techo, before looking at Chris, "What about him? I for one do not value getting pointy teeth or fur."

"Ok, there has to be something that we protect ourselves with," said Matt, "I don't want to end up a ghoul."

"Why did you not say so? Uncle can create dark chi protection spells," said Uncle.

"Well, least we have a test subject," said Techo, nodding in Chris's direction.

"Ok, we need to get that spell ready," said Jackie.

"I cannot," said Uncle.

"Why's that-OW!" said Jackie as Uncle rapped him on the forehead.

"You left ingredients back at hotel!" snapped Uncle.

"Great...so we need to go out there?" said Techo.

Matt looked at the pot with Ghoulwyrm in. "We have a hostage," he said.

"Hey!" snapped Ghoulwyrm, "I'm not going to be paraded in front like a-"

"What's that?" interrupted Jade, "I can't hear you over the banging."

"Banging? What bang-" Jade slammed a lid on the saucepan and then started banging the sides with a tenderizer.

"Ok, ok, ok...stop it...have some respect for the dead!" yelled Ghoulwyrm

"You're not dead, you're undead," said Matt with a grin, "Let me see that tenderizer."

"You wouldn't dare..." said Ghoulwyrm as Matt lifted the lid.

"I always dare," said Matt and hit Ghoulwyrm with the tenderizer. "Ok, we got our passport," said Matt, "Let's get Uncle's stuff."

Matt took Jackie and Tohru with him and Uncle, given he had no idea what to look for. The various minions peered out from hidey holes. What worried Matt was that the vamp minions appeared to have raiding the security office for weapons. "Great...vamps with Glocks. Great fun," said Matt, under his breath.

"Uh, don't move!" called Jackie, "We have your boss' head captive."

"Yes...don't move or the head gets it," gibbered Matt. Surprisingly, the bluff seemed to work and the vampires backed off. "Ok...that was...easy," said Matt.

The apartment however looked like a whirlwind had come through, the gang's luggage scattered around. Somehow expectedly, there was a scorch crater where Matt's bag should have been. "I like my security." said Matt.

"How is Uncle supposed to find anything in all this mess?" demanded Uncle.

"Let's just do this before the guys decide Ghoulwyrm isn't really worth that much," said Matt.

"Hey!" said a dizzy voice from their captive

"How will we be able to find sensei's bag among the others?" asked Tohru.

Matt thought for a minute and said, "Look for the one that smells the most?"

The bag was eventually found in Uncle's room. It was surprisingly untouched...probably helped by the extreme garlic smell coming from the only broken vial in the room.

"Phew! That's overpowering," said Matt. He held up the vial of garlic essence and said, "Sure would hate to be stuck in a room with that for long." Matt looked shiftily from side to side and put the vial into the saucepan.

Uncle started looking through his bag. "Hot cha. Now Uncle can create protection spell. We must hurry back before minions return."

Matt nodded and headed to the door before opening it to see several vamp minions aiming SMG's at the door. "Erm...no salesman," he said and slammed it before diving to the floor as a dozen rounds tore holes in the door. "Guys, I think our passport's expired," said Matt.

"Hah...urgh...I fooled you...ah, hells that stinks...please take it out," said Ghoulwyrm from the pan.

"Jackie, stop vampires," said Uncle.

"But they have guns!" said Jackie.

"So do I," said Matt, aiming through a hole and blasting a vamp with his blaster, sending it sprawling.

"How can Uncle work with so much noise?" snapped Uncle.

"Put some earplugs in!" snapped Matt as he fired at the vampires.

Another vamp kicked open the back door only for a chi blast to knock him back out. "UNCLE WORKING!" yelled Uncle, before putting the blowfish back.

Just then, another group of vampires tried to get in through the back door. Tohru picked up an end table and threw it at them. "Er, will I have to pay for that?" asked Tohru.

"Don't worry. We keep a separate budget for things like that. I started it," said Matt cheerfully, blasting another vamp. "Hey...I think they've stopped," said Matt, leaning against the wall to get his breath back.

Just then, a hairy arm burst through the wall and grabbed Matt. "Whoa, talk about a horror movie," said Matt before he was dragged back through the wall.

Jackie, Tohru and Uncle ran out the apartment to see Matt being held by Red Moon. "You idiots, you think we didn't expect you to distrust Ghoulwyrm?" he scoffed.

"And speaking of which, GET ME OUT OF HERE!" shouted the saucepan.

Red Moon looked at Ghoulwyrm and said curiously, "Why?"

"First off, it's demeaning, second off, they put garlic essence in here," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Good...now you know how your acting smells," said Red Moon.

"You can't do this to me! I'm your son!" snapped Ghoulwyrm. The others gave Red Moon a very odd look.

"He was created from my essence, that's all," said Red Moon. The others gave sighs of relief. "However, I have a first meal to deliver and a soul to corrupt...gnnh...and a mercenary to get rid of," he said, wincing as Matt kicked in a sensitive area. Red Moon glared at him and said, "I wouldn't try that again if I were you."

"Why not?" asked Matt.

"Because it is possible to live for a moderate amount of time without your lower half and I need you alive for just a little longer," said Red Moon, flexing his claws in the moonlight.

Matt said, "You are pure evil."

"Yes, I know," said Red Moon proudly. Matt turned as much as he could and kicked Red Moon. Red Moon winced again. "As I said...rid of a mercenary," he managed.

"Tohru, Jackie, stop him," said Uncle.

"What? But he's bigger than me and he can fly," said Jackie.

"Never stopped you before," said Uncle.

Red Moon smirked and aimed a corrupting blast at the two. To his surprise, it got stopped in midair with a green glow. He looked at Uncle who holding a dried lizard and chanting. "Stay out of this, old man," growled Red Moon.

"You should learn to respect your elders," retorted Uncle, sending the blast back at Red Moon.

"Elders? I'm easily 10 times older than you," said Red Moon.

"Yes, but you have brain of infant if you think you can get piece of Uncle," said Uncle.

"We'll see about that," said Red Moon. He paused and then stuffed Matt halfway into an air vent.

"Ow...oh for heaven's sake," said Matt's muffled voice.

Red Moon flexed his claws and said, "You may as well surrender right now. My powers far exceed your humble mortal bodies."

"You've never seen the blowfish," said Matt from his air vent.

Red Moon laughed and said, "As if a fish could match the powers of the ni-" Red Moon was blasted back by a green beam from Uncle's blowfish.

"Do not mock the blowfish," said Uncle.

"Believe me...don't," agreed Matt.

"Your magic is strong," said Red Moon before ripping out a large section of the wall, "But can it match strength?" With that, Red Moon hefted the section and threw it in Uncle's direction.

"Uncle!" called Jackie.

"Sensei!" called Tohru.

Uncle pointed his lizard and blowfish and blasted the wall section to pieces. "Feh, all show, no backup," said Uncle.

Red Moon glared. "Graah...you're worse than _him_," he said, pointing at Matt.

"I take that as a compliment," came Matt's muffled voice.

"Can someone let me out now?" asked Ghoulwyrm's head from in the saucepan.

Red Moon glared and blasted the saucepan. "Make yourself useful," he snarled, using his magic to push Ghoulwyrm into his rage form.

There was a roaring sound and Jackie, Tohru, and Uncle looked to see Ghoulwyrm's headless body flying towards the ripped-open wall. The small traces of purple fire made it looked like it was ready to burst into flame. It landed inside the room, the questing tentacles of the neck feeling around.

Red Moon sighed. "Oh, for evil's sake..." he muttered, hitting his face in his paw.

"Jackie, don't let body find head," said Uncle, "Undead dragon cannot transform when in pieces."

Jackie managed to slam the saucepan back down on Ghoulwyrm's head...only for the saucepan to start moving around. The tentacles sensed Jackie and started moving towards him. Jackie grabbed a nearby broom and start swatting the tentacles away from him.

The tentacles then managed to grab Tohru's foot. This sadly was Ghoulwyrm's downfall as Tohru tripped up and landed on the saucepan. Ghoulwyrm's head squealed and said, "Who dropped the safe on me?"

Jackie quickly tied the lid back on the pan though when they turned back to Red Moon they noticed that he was gone...with Matt.

"Ai ya! How could you let werepyre get away?" asked Uncle.

"But, Ghoulwyrm..." said Jackie.

"No excuses. We must do research into dark chi protection before we can defeat him," said Uncle.

Tohru managed to grab Ghoulwyrm's body and toss out through the hole in the wall. The body plummeted downwards before spreading its wings and flying away. As Tohru was turning around, he noticed a watch on the floor, but more advanced-looking, like something from Section 13.

Back at the church, the experiments and Techo knew exactly what it was. "It's Lynch's wrist comp. Let's take a look," Techo said, powering it up and opening the storage buffer, only for Matt's voice to come out of it.

"Ok...so you've got Matt's...My wrist comp. You're probably Nega wanting to sell the weapons in it. Bad news...you need a password otherwise I'll let the spiderbots in the buffer out," said Mat's voice from it.

"He keeps spiderbots in there?" asked NegaMorph, "No wonder the little devils are always around."

"Only two, my real self told them to rip apart anyone if they were released. I think I was overdosed on kr'ta at the time," said the voice before saying, "Ok...password time."

"Uh, anyone have any idea what the password is?" asked Jade.

Techo gulped. "Not really. NegaMorph, I told you that selling the armory would make Matt paranoid," he said angrily.

"Well excuse me," said NegaMorph, "I only did it because Chloe wasn't bringing any income. She was just as bad as when Matt lost Kala-"

"Password accepted," said the wrist comp, taking on the usual monotone, "Select weapon."

Techo shrugged. "Silverbane Cannon?" he tried.

"Weapon confirmed...please note...only 1 charge remaining," said the voice.

"Better make it count then," said Techo.

Meanwhile, Matt was not having a good time, being hung upside down from the ceiling of Lunaris's office. "Ok...why am I breathing?" he asked in his most annoying tone

"Oh, I've been saving your death for a special occasion," said Red Moon.

"Aw...is it your birthday?" taunted Matt before breaking out into a rendition of 'Happy Birthday', making Red Moon actually flee the room and slam it shut.

"By the netherhells..." he said faintly, happy he had soundproofed the office.

Matt stopped singing when Red Moon left. "Now to get out of here," he said as he tried to reach for what was holding him. He eventually pulled himself out of his binds and dropped to the floor. Then he went to the window and tried to open it.

Red Moon heard the buzz of his seal spell as well as the rather interesting swearword. "I'd better get this done soon." Then he called, "Oh Night Ruby, I've got you a little present."

Night Ruby emerged from the shadows. "I thought you said I would get to kill my present. I heard you killing it...painfully by the sounds of it," she said.

"That was just the seal spell," said Red Moon, "It's a bit like an electric fence and nonlethal."

"No...before that. It was enough to chill blood," said Night Ruby, "It was also familiar."

"That wasn't screaming, it was singing, or some twisted mockery of it," said Red Moon.

"Dear lord...are you sure he wasn't in extreme pain?" said Night Ruby in shock.

"Not yet he is," said Red Moon before another buzzing sound was heard, "But you better got get him while he's still fresh."

Night Ruby opened the door to see nothing before looking to the side to see a gently-smoking Matt in the wall. "I hate everything," he said darkly.

Night Ruby eyed her present and said, "He looks overcooked."

"Hi there...you must be the birthday girl..." Matt said in a dazed voice.

Red Moon could be heard saying in panic, "DON'T LET HIM SING!"

Night Ruby lightly kicked him. However, the 'light kick' ended up embedding him in a wall. "Pain…" squeaked Matt.

Night Ruby pulled him out of the wall and said, "Frankly, I think you could have found a better human."

"Oh come on...we're related. Stop insulting yourself," said Matt.

Night Ruby gave him an odd look. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"It's just gibberish, too many zaps and hits," said Red Moon.

"Silence, undead scum...both my spare voices agree you're an idiot. I preferred your brother...at least he had a brain," said Matt, aiming to push Red Moon's buttons.

Red Moon growled savagely and said, "Be thankful I'm leaving your death in her hands instead of mine."

"Oh, shut up, pointy teeth," said Matt, rudely.

Red Moon crouched down until he was face to snout with Matt. "If it were my choice, I would give you a much painful and slower death that what she would-" Matt cut him off when he pulled out a concealed garlic bulb and shoved it into Red Moon's mouth.

The reaction was quite amusing as Red Moon made a noise that was a cross between a choke and a high pitched scream, running around clutching his throat before he ran out the room. "I know I'll suffer later, but that was worth it," said Matt sagely.

Night Ruby glared at Matt and said, "How dare you pull such a dirty trick."

"Oh, come on, if you were yourself, you'd have shoved it somewhere much worse," said Matt.

Night Ruby growled and said, "I should just eat you right now, but I have a feeling my mate will want to watch your demise."

"Well...seeing I put a superglue bomb in that clove, that'll be a while," said Matt, hearing a faint pop in the distance followed by a muffled scream. Matt winced and said, "Ooh, he'll need industrial-strength mouthwash to get rid of that."

Night Ruby glared at Matt before backhanding him across the room. "Ow, you know, your temper was better as a human. Well...mostly human," said Matt, rubbing his jaw.

"Me? Human?" Night Ruby laughed before saying, "You're out of your mind, mortal."

"Yes, I am out of my crazy mind, but I'm not a liar," said Matt, smugly.

"Oh sure, like I'm going to take the word of a lunatic," said Night Ruby.

"Ok, I told you the password to my safe, what is it?" said Matt.

"9342, what difference does that- Wait, how did I know that?" asked Night Ruby.

"You are my second in command...and you're family. I'm sure eating family is a taboo," said Matt.

Night Ruby shook her head and said, "No, no, that can't be right."

"Search your feelings, you know them to be true," said Matt.

Night Ruby glared. "You got that from Return of the Jedi...wait...what is that?" she said.

"Clichés aside, you know I'm telling the truth, even if you don't consciously accept it," said Matt.

"No...I don't believe a word any mercenary would say," said Night Ruby.

Matt leaned back and smirked coldly, "So why am I still breathing?"

"Because I'm waiting for my mate to return so he can watch me devour you," said Night Ruby darkly.

"Now who's lying, sis?" said Matt, smugly, not even moving as Night Ruby aimed a possibly fatal punch that stopped barely a hair's width from Matt's face. Matt shook his head and said, "Now that's just sad."

Night Ruby roared and tried another attack, this time a fireball that impacted just above Matt's head.

"Geeze, give up, you're only embarrassing your- What's that smell?" He felt a large amount of heat coming from the top of his head which made him realize what the fireball had hit.

Night Ruby did know she had missed, although this was just as good as Matt yelled and stomped on his now-burning hat. "You shot my hat," he said in a matter-of-fact voice.

"It's only a hat," said Night Ruby, nonchalantly.

"Most people would show restraint for that, given you are not yourself. But that was MY HAT!" said Matt, igniting a plasma ball.

Just then, Red Moon stepped into the room, his mouth frothing slightly from the heavy-grade washing he had to do. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

"Having a heart-to-heart with my dear sister," said Matt, cheekily.

"She's not your sister," snapped Red Moon, "Night Ruby, enough playing around. Kill him and be done with it."

"You are my sister, isn't telling the truth important for a strong relationship?" said Matt, smirking.

Red Moon growled and said, "Night Ruby, finish this worm off before I change my mind and do it myself."

Night Ruby looked at Matt. "I've lost my appetite," she said, adding, "I think I'll save him for later."

"Trust me, he'll only get more rotten later," said Red Moon, "Finish him now while he's still remotely-"

Night Ruby growled and said, "I said I'm not hungry." Red Moon glared before leaving, muttering something about women. Night Ruby span on Matt and glared. "Now, you will answer me and tell me why I just spared you," she snarled.

"Listen, all joking aside, I am not really your enemy and you are not really a werepyre," said Matt, "You're my sister and Red Moon's tricked into becoming what you are."

Night Ruby glared. "That is the worst attempt by prey to save their own skin I've ever heard," she said. Matt smirked and said smugly, "And how much kills have you had, ma'am?"

"Well, er, I'm kinda starting out, but I know I've had lots."

"Doesn't that seem a bit...weird? That you'd remember so much kills yet not be able to take down one measly dragon hybrid?" taunted Matt.

Night Ruby growled and said, "A problem I will fix right now!"

With that, Night Ruby lunged at Matt who just managed to side step it. "That's the sister I know," he said in an annoying voice.

"Will you shut up!" snapped Night Ruby, throwing a fireball at Matt.

Matt dodged it again and watched with satisfaction as said fireball hit the wall by the window, blowing a nice neat hole in it. "Thanks for the exit, bye-bye," said Matt, cheekily before jumping out the hole.

Night Ruby roared with frustration and tried to follow him out the hole, only to find she was slightly too big to fit through. Matt hovered in front of her in dragon form. "Need to lose a little weight there, sis." he smirked before sticking his tongue out and flying off.

Night Ruby roared in fury as she tried to pound her way out of the hole.

Back at the church, Uncle was working on the dark chi protection spells and if only the smell was holding the minions back, the smell having forced them to hide at least a block back.

Jackie was guarding the door when there was a polite knock.

"What's the password?" demanded Jade.

"It's 'let me in or I'll blow the door off its hinges," said Matt's voice in an annoyed tone.

"Yep, that's it," said Jade.

Jackie opened the door to let Matt inside. "You're ok," said Jackie.

Matt nodded, shutting the door. "Yup...though not from lack of Red Moon trying. I was nearly breakfast in bed," Matt said.

"Breakfast in bed?" asked Jackie.

"Girls really like it when you do it for them," said Matt.

Jade said, "You mean...

Matt nodded. "Yup...my dear sister almost got her first meal," he said worriedly.

"In that case, we'll have to stop Red Moon as soon as Uncle-" started Jackie when he was interrupted.

"Hot cha! Spell is ready!"

"Sometimes the fates have good timing," said Matt with a grin, before stopping, "Aren't we gonna test it first?"

"What's there to test it on?" asked NegaMorph.

There was a growling from where Chris was. "What about Chris?" suggested Matt.

Red Moon had not been idle while Matt was breaking out. He had been using Chris to spy on the gang and see what they were up to.

Luckily for the gang, the hood that Techo had put over Chris's head had muted things. Red Moon had given up until the hood was pulled away to show Matt and Techo giving way to the old man with that damn blowfish. "What in the local hell?" he muttered before a green flash filled his vision and he was deafened by the magical equivalent of a feedback...and the view changed.

The image that appeared was that of the old man who said, "One more thing," before blowing a raspberry. The image shimmered before repeating over and over again.

Red Moon looked confused. "Damn, I hate Chinese magic..." he muttered before tuning back to his own body to find Night Ruby in a horrific rage.

"Erm, is something the matter, dear?" asked Red Moon.

"That...blasted hybrid. I can see why you hate him," said Night Ruby.

Red Moon didn't need much to guess what had happened. "He escaped, didn't he?" he said sympathetically.

"Yes, and worse of all, he called me fat," growled Night Ruby.

Red Moon winced. He may have been immortal but even he knew that was a severely bad move. For a second, he pitied Matt and thought maybe he had given Matt brain damage for the merc to make that horrible bad move. "Well, you can tear him apart when you get the next chance," said Red Moon.

Night Ruby glared. "I'll make him suffer," she hissed.

About then, Chris was coming back around. "You think he's back to normal?" asked Matt.

"Let's see," said NegaMorph before bonking Chris with a rolling pin he had found in the kitchen.

Matt sighed and poked Chris. "Chris...you there?" he said cautiously.

Chris opened his eyes and said, "I'll have the mongoose burger, Mrs. Plimsole."

"Should I hit him again?" asked NegaMorph.

"No, I think he's good," said Matt before saying, "And I'd like to have the weapons from my wrist comp back." He had found that the weapons from his wristcomp had mysteriously vanished when he had got it back.

"How should I know where they are?" asked NegaMorph.

"Cause I had the AI link to the comp's camera," said Matt in a friendly grin...in the same way a shark's grin was 'friendly'.

"Oh, right," said NegaMorph, "Uh, I think I have them in here somewhere." He started feeling around inside his coat.

Matt said, "Hey, Tohru...could you just shake NegaMorph upside down for me please?"

"Uh, there's no need to resort to-" started NegaMorph before Torhu seized him by the legs and held him upside down before shaking him.

Matt watched as about 20 guns, including several that had been missing from the ship armory fell out. "Let me guess...making sure they got cleaned?" said Matt

"Something like that, yes," said NegaMorph.

"Cleaned out more like," said Matt, before making his hand glow with plasma control. "I did warn you what would happen," he said.

"Now Matt, let's not do anything regretful," said NegaMorph.

Matt pressed a button on his wrist comp. "Tohru. You may wanna give these guys space," he said, pressing a button and making two glowing orbs hit NegaMorph, where they changed to become two spiderbots. Tohru quickly dropped NegaMorph as the spiderbots got to work with vigor.

"Effective deterrents for thieves," said Matt, in a matter-of-fact voice.

Jackie had to speak a little louder to be heard over NegaMorph's screams. "Do you think that was a good idea?" he called.

"Believe me! It takes a special type of death wish to take on those guys!" yelled Matt back.

"But he's being torn to pieces!" called Jackie as one of NegaMorph's left hands flew by his head.

"It's not the first time," said Matt, side stepping to avoid NegaMorph's other hand.

"So what are we going to do about Red Moon?" called Jade.

"I'm not having him married into the family! I say we blow him up!" said Matt.

By that point, the spiderbots had torn off NegaMorph's head and stuffed it down his neck so the conversation could continue at normal volume. "But how will we be able to find them?" asked Techo, "They'll probably move to avoid being found."

"I doubt it. Red Moon took me right back to Lunaris's office," said Matt.

"But how will we stop him?" asked Jackie, "From what Draco and Chip said, he's invulnerable."

"We've got the Silverbane cannon," said Draco, "It defeated Red Moon last time."

"It's got one shot left," said Techo, "If we miss, it'll be game over."

"When have I ever missed?" said Matt.

"What about that one time you had a 'positive sight' with that sniper rifle and hit Chloe in the butt?" said Techo.

Matt glared as Chris added, "Or that time with the bazooka when you nearly shot down Alice?"

Matt's glare increased. "Ok...I almost never miss," he said in an annoyed tone.

"Yeah, how about we leave the actual shot to the guy who's got a targeting computer in his eye?" said Techo.

"No...my gun, my sis, my shot," said Matt, sulkily.

"Well, we better do it before... What's that sound?" asked Jackie. The group turned to see the saucepan Ghoulwyrm's head was kept in bouncing around, purple light showing from the developing cracks.

Matt glared and picked up the saucepan before walking to the window and chucking the saucepan out and over the cliff the church sat on. "Swims are supposed to ease stress. I know I feel better," he said.

However, the saucepan apparently hit the side of the cliff as it went down and shattered because the next thing anyone knew was Ghoulwyrm letting out a huge sonic roar as he fell. Everyone glared at Matt as the church started to shake. "Erm...my bad," he said weakly.

"AI YA! Building is collapsing!" shouted Uncle, "Protection spell won't hold it together!"

"Leg it!" yelled Matt, grabbing the cannon and kicking the door open.

The group quickly evacuated the building as fast they could. They watched as the entire church trembled before a single shingle fell off the roof and it stopped.

"Ok...man, they made these really well," said Matt, walking up and tapping the wall, that, with a tearing noise, fell on him.

"Uh, shouldn't we move so we're not out in the open?" asked Contrinus.

There were several snarling and roaring noises as well as voices calling to keep up. Several vamps and a werewolf ran round the corner. "I like that plan," said Techo, before pulling Matt out the planks he was under.

Matt was definitely out of it when he saw the werewolf and said, "Oh look, a puppy, can we keep him, daddy?" The werewolf lunged at Matt, pushing Techo aside and tried to hit Matt who, as he was already senseless, simply laughed and said 'BAD DOG!' and delivered an uppercut to said minion.

The werewolf flew high into the air before landing right on top of Gary. "Ow..." he moaned.

Techo glared at Gary. "GARY, YOU TWIT! USE SOME OF THOSE SUPERPOWERS BEFORE YOU GET MUNCHED!" he yelled.

"I'm...trying..." groaned Gary as he tried to get out, "But he's got me...pinned..."

NegaMorph rolled his eyes and said to Megan, "Honestly, you had to fall for the wimp, didn't you?"

Matt looked at the doggy before a vamp tried to shoot at him. "Ooooh…" he said with a faint grin much to the vamp's confusion.

Unfortunately for the vampire, Matt took this as a cue to fire back, sending the vampire flying before landing on top of the werewolf that was on Gary. Gary groaned. "Oh...mon deiu, please stop," he moaned.

Just then, Mama Tohru came out of the church and snapped, "What is with all the racket? How can I take beauty nap with so much noise?"

"We're under attack, you daft smeghead!" yelled Techo, luckily unheard.

Mama Tohru's eyes flashed and said, "You dare insult me?" A werewolf landed in front of her and snarled, sharp fangs bared. However, one powerful kick sent it flying and landing on top of the growing pile that Gary was under.

Meanwhile, Red Moon and Night Ruby had been watching from a nearby rooftop. "Well, this is somewhat entertaining," said Red Moon.

A vampire minion, propelled by a plasma burst hit the wall below the perch and slowly slid down onto the fire escape with a groan. "Yes...you could say that..." said Night Ruby, looking at Chris fighting.

"Well, now it's time to end this," said Red Moon, spreading his wings, "Come, my queen." The gang looked around to see the two werepyres taking off from the roof. Red Moon swooped down towards Jackie.

"Jackie, look out!" called Jade.

Jackie turned to see Red Moon swooping at him, claws out. "WOARGH!" he yelped and managed to jump up and run along Red Moon's back as the surprised werepyre flew along the ground. Red Moon was so surprised that he forgot to look where he was going and crashed into a wall.

Matt smirked. "That'll require some dental work," he joked before hearing a banshee style shriek and turned to see Night Ruby heading for him. "Uh oh," he muttered.

Draco watched Matt get slammed by Night Ruby. "This doesn't look good," said Draco.

"Don't worry," said Morph, "I bet the power of family will overcome her evil spell."

Night Ruby glared and blasted Matt back through a shop front. "Of course, I've been wrong before," said Morph.

Then NegaMorph stood in front of Night Ruby and said, "Ok, that's enough right there."

"Yeah, the power of friendship will prevail!" said Morph.

Night Ruby glared at NegaMorph. "Get out of my way," she said.

"Forget it," said NegaMorph, "You need to stop before you-" Sadly, whatever was going to be said was never revealed as Night Ruby grabbed NegaMorph and swallowed him.

"Er, well, there's always the power of true love," said Morph. Draco and Chip just stared at him and Morph said, "Yeah, we got nothing."

Night Ruby glared and was about to blast the trio when Matt jumped on her back and started hitting her. "Don't just stand there...DO SOMETHING!" he yelled

"Er, Chip, you have any ideas what we should do?" asked Draco.

"Just give me a few seconds, I'm trying to think of something," said Chip. A fireball impacted just over Chip's head. Chip said, "This particular situation may be a little over our heads. I suggest we focus on another battle."

"Like what?" asked Draco. Suddenly, there was an angry roar as Ghoulwyrm's headless body landed nearby, its tentacles writhing like snakes.

"Like that," said Chip.

Red Moon meanwhile was still after Jackie. "Stay still!" snarled the werepyre as Jackie dodged yet another lunge.

"Um, no thank you," said Jackie before ducking under another blow.

Night Ruby was still trying to deal with Matt, who for his own defense was trying not to hurt her. "Come on, Silvia was bad enough, get a grip, sis," said Matt.

"I told you, I'm not your sister!" snapped Night Ruby. She paused for a second when her stomach gurgled, and not in a hungry way.

Matt stopped for a second. "You don't look so good. Someone you ate?" he said, unable to resist.

"I think...it might..." said Night Ruby as her stomach gave a lurch. But she took advantage of Matt's distraction, grabbed Matt off her back, and pinned him on the ground in front of her. "But now I'm going to-" Night Ruby stopped when her stomach start lurching even more and an acidic taste started coming up her throat.

"Oh no...hell no..." said Matt and tried to struggle out of the grip. Unfortunately for Matt, he was a tad too slow.

Everyone else paused with their struggles when they heard Night Ruby toss her cookies. They turned to see NegaMorph on top of Matt, both of them covered in werepyre bile.

"Oh...dear lord," said Matt who looked like he was ready to throw up as well

"I was in her stomach, how do you think I feel?" asked NegaMorph.

Night Ruby managed to get over her stomach upset and picked both Matt and NegaMorph up by their throats. "Plan?" rasped Matt to NegaMorph.

"Uh, I was kinda focused on getting out for the past few seconds," said NegaMorph.

Night Ruby glared at them both. "Which to kill first?" she hissed.

"Er, you don't want to do that, I'm your bro-" Night Ruby cut Matt of by squeezing his throat tighter.

"Uh, I'd go for the best friend approach," said NegaMorph, "But I think the big wolf-lion behind you would work better."

Night Ruby sneered. "You really think that old trick will..." she began before Chris tackled her from behind. Fortunately for Matt and NegaMorph, Night Ruby dropped both of them when Chris attacked. They both got up and watched as the two large beasts fought with each other.

"I'm not getting involved," said Matt dully, rubbing his throat.

"He's got a better chance than us anyways," said NegaMorph.

There were several whistling noises and Matt and NegaMorph turned to see Draco, Chip, and Morph bounce off, and in Morph's case, splat onto a wall. They turned more to see Ghoulwyrm, now back with his body, snarling. "Oh great," said Matt sarcastically.

"He was pretty tough before he got his head back," commented Draco.

"Oh great...this is not our night," said Matt, pulling out his ion staff.

Ghoulwyrm just roared and spat a torrent of purple flames at them. The group scattered and Matt winced as Ghoulwyrm brought a whole new meaning to 'friendly fire' as his blast hit Night Ruby in the back.

Night Ruby gave a yelp of pain before turning to throw a fireball at Ghoulwyrm. However, that fireball just seemed to set him off because he exploded into purple flames when the fireball hit him. When the flame had cleared Ghoulwyrm was in his demon form. Matt and NegaMorph turned to Night Ruby and said, "Way to go." However Ghoulwyrm seemed to not take interest in them at first.

Red Moon had finally cornered Jackie by now. "First you, then your un...OOF!" he said before a purple fireball sent him through a wall.

"Um, thank you?" said Jackie.

Ghoulwyrm snarled at his father before turning his full wrath on Matt.

"Oh no," said Matt before saying, "Ok, Nega...take him on the right and I'll...HEY!" he said, yelling the last part to see NegaMorph had legged it to cover. "COWARD!" snapped Matt before noticing the flaming demonic werepyre in front of him. "Then again, I think he had a point," muttered Matt.

Night Ruby winced as Matt was picked up and flailed against the floor a few times before being thrown across the street.

"We better go help your brother," said Chris.

Night Ruby snarled. "HE'S NOT MY BROTHER!" she yelled, punching Chris.

"You know better than that," said Chris, "You need to stop thinking what Red Moon has told you and let your real feelings out." Night Ruby glared at Chris who added, "And I think you'd better be quick before Ghoulwyrm minces your bro." Night Ruby only growled and Chris, "Please, you know he doesn't deserve to be killed by Ghoulwyrm. Do you really want to live with yourself if he gets killed?"

Night Ruby glared before looked at Matt who was backing up into a corner from Ghoulwyrm, Red Moon keeping all the others busy and unable to intervene. "Please," said Chris, "If not for him, then for me."

Night Ruby looked at Chris before igniting a fireball in her hand.

"I might have figured it would turn out-" started Chris before Night Ruby threw the fireball at Ghoulwyrm.

Ghoulwyrm roared in pain and surprise...and more surprise as Matt took advantage of his confusion to cut his head off...again. The still-flaming head bounced along the ground while the body started feeling around for it. Matt didn't give it a chance, blasting it back till it fell over the cliff into the sea.

"Might as well put out the rest of that fire," said NegaMorph before grabbing Ghoulwyrm's body and tossing it into the sea as well.

Red Moon was surprised at this. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" he roared at his queen dodging a chi blast.

"Coming to my senses," said Night Ruby before hitting Red Moon with a fireball.

Red Moon snarled. "I knew that Ghoulwyrm's spells were unreliable. I should have done it the old-fashioned way."

"Uncle always does things old-fashioned way," said Uncle before sending Red Moon through a wall with another blast.

Red Moon managed to shake some stars out his vision and got up. "That's getting really annoying. You can't kill me with that anyhow. I'm not Chinese."

"True, but then again, neither am I," said Matt, aiming the Silverbane Cannon at Red Moon. Red Moon turned to see Matt aiming. "Say cheese," said Matt and fired at point blank range, scoring a good hit. Red Moon roared in pain as the blast tore through him, filling his body with burning light.

"He shoots, he scores!" said Matt cheerfully, before seeing Red Moon managing to get up. "Next," he said and tried to fire only for a monotone voice come from the cannon saying, 'Payload depleted.' "Uh oh," said Matt weakly as Red Moon turned to look at him in what was clearly a berserk rage.

"Death...is too good for you..." growled Red Moon, "I'm going to send you into an eternity of agonizing pain!"

"Been there, done that...but the T-shirt's in the wash," said Matt before a fireball hit Red Moon in the side and Night Ruby landed in front of Red Moon, snarling.

Red Moon glared at her and said, "And you will pay just as dearly for this betrayal."

"Guess again," said Night Ruby before pulling what Matt referred to as a 'Megan' on Red Moon.

Red Moon's eyes bulged and he squeaked, "That's...coward's...fighting..."

"No...that's mercenary fighting," said Night Ruby in Chloe's voice before punching Red Moon between the eyes.

Red Moon winced and staggered backwards. NegaMorph, who had been washing of the bile and cooling his burnt hands, walked over and said, "Well, this is entertaining, but it's not really killing him, is it?"

"Oh, after what Chloe just did, I think he wishes he is," said Jade. Matt nodded, his eyes having watered in male sympathy.

"Yeah, but in order to break the spell we've got to kill him, remember?" said NegaMorph.

Chip wandered over and said, "Actually, by the look of his head, I'd say his neck's got broken. And even if it weren't I think that Silverbane serum's starting to kill him. See, dawn's breaking." The others looked to see patches of light starting to form in the eastern sky.

Red Moon managed to say, "You...haven't seen...the last...of...me…" before the sunlight caused him to burst into flames.

"He's right," said Draco as he watched him burn, "We've only destroyed his body, his spirit still remains and it will find a new host."

"As long as it's not here," said Night Ruby/Chloe before she started to glow, a black essence flowing out of her and following Red Moon's spirit as it retreated into the sky. Her body started to shrink and lose fur, her tail and wings dwindling to nothing. In a few seconds, she was back to her human form, but her dress had been completely ruined.

All the male members of the gang quickly span to look away. "Ooookay then…" said Matt in a desperately casual voice.

"Fortunately, I keep a set of her clothes with me on such occasions," said NegaMorph, pulling them out from under his coat.

Matt glared at NegaMorph. "Happens often does it?" he said in a dangerous voice

"Uh, let me think," said NegaMorph, "There was the time she forgot to set her clothes to disappear with her dragon form and Chris walked in on her. Then when she became Chang Tzu's apprentice. And I think there was a bit of trial and error with Silvia getting her hybrid form to work-"

"Shut up and hand those clothes over," said Chloe.

Back in the San Fransisco catacombs, Drago had been actually spending some peace and quiet. No Chans to worry about, no mercenaries with blasters, none of his family bad mouthing him. He snapped out of it as he heard the telltale sound of Ghoulwyrm's portal activating.

He looked to see Ghoulwyrm float through, his head in his hands, literally. "I don't want to talk about it," he grumbled.

"Stressful trip? You seem to have 'lost your head'," taunted Drago.

"Not in the mood," growled Ghoulwyrm.

Drago smirked to himself. Sometimes it was nice to see someone else's plan fall apart without him getting involved.

Meanwhile, the gang were debating whether to check out or not. Fortunately, the damage from the battle was blamed on an earthquake and not added to their bill.

"It makes a change, usually I get blamed for this," said Matt in a happy voice. The real Lunaris had been found being used as the source of a shapeshifter spell and had been confused to see most of his resort in ruins.

"I say we stay," said Megan, "I haven't had enough relaxation."

"That is true. This has been more like a working holiday," said Matt.

"Yeah, I'd like to get a little R&AAARRRRGH!" yelped Techo as Mama Tohru grabbed him by the ear.

"What were you saying about me before?" she demanded.

"Nothing, ma'am...nothing...please let go," moaned Techo.

"Oh no, I'm not done with you," said Mama Tohru, yanking Techo away by the war.

Matt and Chris watched in sympathy as he was pulled away. "Sucks to be him," said Chris.

NegaMorph was looking thoughtful for a while when he finally said, "There's one thing that puzzles me. Why is it that Chloe listened to Chris when me and Matt failed?"

"Maybe it was the power of true love after all," said Morph.

Chloe and Chris exchanged a look before both making gagging noises. "Yeah, sure, as much of a chance as a snowball in heck," said Matt.

"By the way," said Chloe, "What was that you said earlier about me needing to lose weight?"

"Oh crap," Matt said.

Outside, Lunaris was asking Jackie Chan why the remains of the church smelled so strongly of garlic when Matt flew put a window on a lightning bolt.

"Erm, you may need to check your wiring," said Jackie.

"I hurt..." said Matt from where he landed.

* * *

There's another chapter. A break away from the Demon Sorcerer bit, we've got a guest star villain this week. Red Moon's been dealing with the gang for a while, in corporeal and spirit form. But to make up for any absense of demon sorcerers, we have the return of Tohru's infamous mother. By the way, in case you missed it, the fax machine's from the episode with the Magisters, the spell tags refering to how Uncle thought it was possessed. Anyhow, the break may continue next week, maybe not. Keep an eye out for the update and please review.


	5. Opposite Day

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 5: Opposite Day**

One important thing you need to learn when living with the Chans was to never question Uncle. Doing so often led to grief. Matt was pondering this as they headed through New Orleans to an auction at a house that had recently been sold. Uncle had wanted to come to see if he could get any deals for the shop but at such short notice, he had pressganged one of the Bladestorm's dropships despite Matt's complaints.

"Couldn't you have taken an airline like everyone else?" griped Matt.

"What? And let all the good antiques get taken before Uncle is halfway there?" snapped Uncle.

"My dropships are not a public service..." began Matt.

"Uncle has no time for chit-chat. Must get cracking if we want to get there in time," snapped Uncle.

Matt glared and was about to reply when Draco came in with a serious look.

"Can't you see I'm busy here?" said Matt.

"Yeah, but we need to pick up on your dragon lessons," said Draco.

Matt said, "Oh...that...I don't have time for this...URK!" the 'urk' as Draco's horns glowed and Matt froze in place.

"Sorry, Matt, but it's gotta be done sometime," said Draco as he dragged Matt off.

The auction itself was taking place at an old local museum, the sort that had smaller items of unusual nature. The items came from an old hotel that had been bought by an owner who wanted to turn it into refurnish it and was auctioning off the items. Matt looked at what looked like a cross between a bugle and a bagpipe. "This is junk." he said, annoyed. He was in a bad mood after the 2 hours of magic sensing lessons Draco had put him through.

Matt immediately received a two-finger strike from Uncle. "You know nothing of the art of antiquing," said Uncle, "There is much to be gained from here. Such as reselling this chest-of-drawers back at Uncle's shop."

Matt looked at a framed newspaper cutting. "I heard of this place. Lotsa people who stayed here spontaneously got split personality," he said, thoughtfully, looking at a 1940 newspaper, complete with a photo of a few of the hotel's victims. "They called it the Curse of Orleans," he said before seeing their stares, "So I read a book before we came, so sue me."

"Uncle has heard of mysterious magic in this area," said Uncle, "Chi lines have thick clusters in this city. Draws different kinds of magic."

"Ah...voodoo," said Matt, looking at what looked like clockwork false teeth. "I repeat my previous statement about junk," he said before seeing a gold ring in a small ring box. The ring looked like a spider on it complete with a amethyst. The ring itself set Matt's teeth on edge. "Now here's something interesting," said Matt, picking up the box and looking at the ring inside it.

Jackie looked at it and said, "Looks African to me, Nigerian if I'm not mistaken. It looks in pretty good shape for being at least a few centuries old."

Matt said, "And it's the only thing I've seen that isn't junk. It'll probably cost a small fortune." Matt approached the man who was in charge of the big sale and said, "Excuse me, how much is this ring?"

The owner looked shocked at Matt's question. "You want that? You don't want that ring. Trust me on this."

Matt stared, confused, "Yes, we do, that's why I asked."

"No, you don't. It's nothing but trouble," said the owner.

Matt stared. "Actually, I do. How much?" he said in an annoyed voice.

The man looked hesitant before saying, "$50, including the box."

Matt glared. "$30 including the box," he said, bartering.

"Sold," said the man.

"What already?" said Matt, "You aren't going to-"

"30's fine, just take it," said the man.

Matt shrugged and handed over the money before taking the box and walking over to Uncle, scanning the ring to see if he had not been ripped off. "Hey, Uncle...I just got us the best deal in the entire auction," he said as the scanner confirmed that the ring's gold look was genuine.

Uncle looked at the ring and said, "Hmm, something about ring not normal. Uncle will have to study."

"Yeah, I only paid $30 for it," said Matt.

"What? Must be rip-off," said Uncle, "No way ring would be sold for that low unless it's bad."

Matt looked at his wristcomp. "It says it's genuine gold, even the gem's real," he said.

"Then keep very close eye on it," said Uncle, "Uncle's detecting mischief afoot."

Matt looked at the ring before clicking the box shut and putting it in his pocket. "Safe as houses," he said.

Meanwhile, the man looked guilty as he placed the money he got from Matt in his wallet. "Well, at least it's out of my hands. I hope I never have to see that cursed ring again."

Back at Section 13, Uncle had taken what things he had brought back to the shop and had also began researching where he had seen the ring before. Matt however was back with Draco in another lesson. "This is stupid. If we wanna see if something's magic, we should just toss it to Morph and see what happens," Matt said.

"And have another Fang Stone incident?" asked Draco.

"It's Morph. He hasn't got an angry bone in his body. He hasn't got any bones actually," said Matt.

"Still doesn't mean the magic won't get loose and cause chaos," said Draco.

Matt sighed, "Fine," before sitting down, crosslegged and closing his eyes. A second later, his eye shot open again and he turned to dig into his pocket.

"What's up?" asked Draco.

"This, something's in here," he said, pulling out the ring box and opening it.

Draco looked in the ring box and said, "I don't see anything."

"But I picked up a big spike of-"

"No, I really don't see anything," said Draco.

Matt looked at the space where the ring had been. "Oh crap," he muttered before grabbing Draco by his neck and pulling him so they were eye to eye. "SOMETHING DREADFUL'S ABOUT TO HAPPEN!" he screamed.

Meanwhile, Morph was rummaging through the fridge for something to eat. Pretty much everything was fair game.

He didn't notice as a glow appeared behind a lunchbox. He did however hear a 'tinkle' as something metallic fell onto the fridge shelf. "What's that?" asked Morph before looking around on the shelf. Eventually, he found a golden spider ring with an amethyst on it. Morph looked at it. "Shiny," he said, mesmerized by the gem. He slipped it on just as Matt and Draco piled through the door.

"Morph, have you seen-" started Matt before Morph was swallowed by a purple light. "Never mind," said Matt, activating the shader lenses on his glasses as well as covering his eyes.

"So is Morph some kind of evil demon creature?" asked Draco.

"No, but he's wearing glasses," said Matt.

The light faded to reveal Morph wearing a pair of half-moon glasses, wearing a smoking jacket, and had a calabash pipe in one hand. "Salutations, gentlemen," said Morph in a refined voice, "I believe you have come to take sustenance from metabolic fuel?"

"Oh no, it's V-Spike all over again," moaned Matt.

"You seem rather agitated," said Morph, "I suggest finding a hobby that partakes of a release of creative energy. It does wonders for the nerves." He put the pipe to his lips and blew out a couple bubbles.

Matt smiled at Morph. "Excuse us a second," he said and dragged Draco into the corridor. "What the hell was that?" he said.

"Magic of some kind," said Draco, "But I have no idea what kind it is."

"It's that ring. Can't you smell it?" said Matt.

"But how could it make Morph so...so...smart?" asked Draco.

"I dunno...it's like a mirror version...maybe it swapped him with an alternate?" said Matt, shrugging.

"Well, maybe we should take that ring off him," said Draco.

"Good idea," said Matt and looked into the room, "...one problem: where's Morph?"

"This is a big problem, isn't it?" said Draco.

"No...really?" said Matt sarcastically.

Fortunately, Morph had not gone far. The two of them found him down in Section 13's lab, assisting Kepler with his miniature infra-red laser computer interfacer. "The problem is that you've not contained the wavelengths enough," said Morph, "You need to add some chromium-titanium alloy in the interior to focus it into a narrower beam."

Matt looked at Draco. "We gotta fix this. It's too weird," said Draco.

Matt walked over to Morph and said, "Ok, brain blob, hand over the pretty ring."

"I am disinclined to acquiesce to your request," said Morph.

Draco said to himself, "Guess Morph isn't completely intelligent then," as Matt splatted Morph against the walls and ceiling before pulling the ring off and tossing it to Draco.

Draco caught the ring and said, "Great, now let's find out what-" He started before a purple light flared out of the ring.

Matt glanced at Morph, who had reformed and was now rolling along the ground, laughing idiotically. Matt picked him up with plasma control. "What's so funny?" he growled.

Morph paused and said, "I don't know."

Matt then covered his eyes, remembering the flash and Draco being cut off before turning. "Kepler? What's happened to Draco?" he said in a desperately calm voice.

Kepler adjusted his glasses and said, "It seems he's had a change in outfit. Which is odd because I don't recall him with clothes earlier."

Matt turned to see Draco was now wearing a sweater vest, a thick pair of glasses, and a pocket protector. "Whoa, that was some flash, wasn't it?" said Draco, revealing he had braces on his teeth.

Matt and Morph both stared in shock. "Oh boy..." Matt said weakly.

"Ha, ha, Draco's a nerd," said Morph.

"Just because I prefer intellectual activities, doesn't make me a nerd," said Draco before inhaling loudly through his nose.

Matt was desperately trying to keep a straight face. "Draco...the ring's doing something to you...take it off."

"The ring?" Draco looked at his hand, which now had the ring around one of his fingers. "Oh yes, quite a fine example of Nigerian jewelry. Maybe I should show it to Contrinus."

Matt hit the door as Draco turned to leave then he, Morph, and Kepler watched as the transformed Draco demonstrated he still had his normal experiment powers by 'opening' the door.

"Matt, are you ok?" asked Kepler.

"That ring is evil...evil..." moaned Matt as he slid off the wall and onto the floor. "Follow that dragon thing," said Matt, getting over his shock before running out the hole after Draco and comming Contrinus. "Contrinus? Pick up...Draco is headed to you."

"So, what's so bad about that?" asked Contrinus over the comm.

"He' got some kind of ring. Get it off of him, but don't touch it with bare...gah," he said as static filled the comm and the wrist comp said, "Error...extreme magi energy source has scrambled target comm."

"Oh blitznak," said Matt as he increased his speed. He arrived at Contrinus's room in time to see a purple flash from under the door. "Oh, come on," he said, pulling out a stun blaster and kicking the door open.

A second later, Draco was thrown into him, thankfully lacking his nerdy apparel. "Uh, I don't think Contrinus is in a good mood," said Draco.

"What?" said Matt, dropping Draco and walking into the darkened room. "Contrinus?" he said.

Contrinus emerged from the darkness, looking rather difference. The leather jacket, spiked boots, and mohawk were a bit of a giveaway. "What are you looking at, fishlips?" she snapped, "You want a piece of me?"

Matt stared before saying, "Take the ring off," guessing what had caused the attitude adjustment.

"What? You want this ring? I'll give you the ring," said Contrinus before punching Matt in the face, leaving a bruise in the shape of the spider on his cheek.

Matt got up growling before making ropes of plasma tie Contrinus up. "I am NOT in the mood," he snarled before plucking the ring off.

The punk apparel immediately disappeared and Contrinus asked, "What just happened?"

"This little troublemaker-" started Matt before noticing the ring had somehow slipped out of his hands and onto the floor.

"Hey...what the," said Matt, trying to grab it

The gold band of the ring, formed from the spider's legs, suddenly uncurled and it started scurrying away. Matt grabbed a box and dropped it on the ring. "Gotcha," he said and screamed as the ring teleported onto the box and jumped on Matt's face. "IT'S TRYING TO GET IN MY NOSE!" yelled Matt.

"Don't be silly, that's a finger ring, not a nose ring," said Contrinus.

"GET OFF ME!" screamed Matt, finally pulling the ring off and trying to blast it, only for it to jump back on Contrinus.

In a flash of purple light, Contrinus was 'punked out' again. "You trying to steal my ring, lizard boy?" snapped Contrinus.

Matt didn't bother with speech, instead bringing both fists down on Contrinus's head.

Contrinus staggered but then she growled, "That's it, now I'm mad." She opened her beak and shot Matt in the face with a ball of firelight.

Matt twitched from the blast before burping a sustained blast of plasma in Contrinus's face and glaring at the ring. "Behave, you...jewelry," he said.

The ring, however, jumped off of Contrinus' claw and into a vent where it scurried away.

Matt tossed a plasma orb down after it before going over to a wall intercom. "Captain Black please," he said into it.

A second later, the intercom responded, "Black here, is there a problem?"

"There's a magic ring on the loose in the air vents that turns people into mirror versions of themselves," said Matt, before realizing how crazy he sounded.

"Uh, did you get enough sleep after your flight?" asked Black.

"No...it got Morph, Draco, and Contrinus. Kepler saw its effects," said Matt.

"Right... How about you take a short nap and tell me about it when you're properly rested?" said Black before terminating the link.

Matt looked at the intercom in an annoyed way before calling Uncle. "Uncle...we have a problem with that ring," he said

"Uncle just found book about ring. Come here quickly," replied Uncle.

"Kinda busy...the ring's kinda done a runner," said Matt, peering into a vent.

"AI YA! How could you let ring escape?" snapped Uncle.

"It was using Contrinus to beat me up," retorted Matt.

"Uncle was afraid of that," said Uncle.

"What is this thing?" said Matt.

"Much better to see book, come and see," said Uncle before hanging up.

Matt, Draco, and Jackie arrived at the shop a few minutes later. "Ok...what the hell is that thing?" said Matt once they were all seated.

"The ring you have purchased is actually the Ring of Anansi," said Uncle.

"Anansi?" asked Jackie, "As in the Nigerian spider-"

"Getting to that," interrupted Uncle. Uncle continued to read from the book, "Anansi was the trickster god of Nigeria, whose favorite form was that of a spider. Anansi was known for his love of mischief and outwitting his foes. One of his most notable deeds was to create that ring."

"Lemme guess. It messes with people's brains and is also sentient," said Matt.

"Getting to that," said Uncle, "The ring is enchanted. Whoever wore it became the opposite of their normal nature. It can also defend itself from more aggressive personalities."

"I saw...I tried to melt it and it jumped on my face...then onto Contrinus," said Matt.

"Yes, if in danger, it would choose a host that would defend it," said Uncle, "But where is the ring now?"

"It got in Section 13's air vents before I could grab it," said Matt.

"Oh great, another evil artifact on the loose," said Jackie.

"Ring is not evil," said Uncle, "Ring was meant to be prank, embarrass people in public. It will only seek to cause humiliation, not evil."

"Contrinus can spit fireballs...half the experiments can tear a tank in two..." said Matt.

"To be fair, the only reason we caused that damage was because you got in the way," said Draco.

"I am thinking more of a few mirror personalities...like Silvia?" said Matt.

"Not likely," said Uncle, "Ring is meant to reverse personalities, not bring out alternate ones."

"Nevertheless, we must find it before it can ruin someone's reputation," said Jackie.

"Or brings out the wrong kind of personality," said Matt.

A little later, Jackie and Matt were in one of Section 13's maintenance tunnels, checking the ventilation. "How hard can it be to find a ring?" said Matt.

"I know, I once dropped a set of keys down one of the vents. Took me all day to find them again," said Jackie.

Matt peered into a vent before his hearing picked up a skittering. "Erm...Jackie," he said faintly

"Do you see it?" asked Jackie.

Matt shone a torch into a vent and jumped as a spiderbot chittered at him before scuttling around a corner. "False alarm," said Matt with a sigh.

"Master Lynch, Master Chan, what are you doing with in the ventilation system?" Jackie and Matt turned to see what looked like NegaMorph, only he was wearing a butler's suit and had his antenna 'combed back'.

"Ah...the answer of the missing ring," said Matt cheerfully, "We were...looking for a lost...thing."

"Well, you certainly mustn't go scrambling through the vents like a common rat, it is most filthy in there," said NegaMorph, "Shall I draw the two of you a bath so you may clean the dust off of you?"

"Not really..but I'd like a closer look at that ring. Me and Jackie are very interested in it...ARTEN'T WE?" said Matt, nudging Jackie.

"What? Oh, yes, most definitely," said Jackie. Matt reached for the ring at that, making sure he had happy thoughts going through his head.

Just then, NegaMorph said, "Oh, I nearly forgot. I need to bring Miss Jade her afternoon snack. I'll give the ring to you as soon as I'm done." With that, he walked out of the room.

Matt raised a hand to plasma control NegaMorph when Jackie stopped him. "If you threaten NegaMorph, the ring will just escape," said Jackie, "We'll wait until NegaMorph's done with Jade and take it then."

"Fine...let's follow him," said Matt.

The two of them got to Jade's room and waited besides the door. "Ok, when NegaMorph walks out, we jump him tear the ring off his finger, his finger as well if we need to," said Matt.

Jackie looked horrified at the idea. "Tear his finger off?" he repeated.

Matt said, "It's been torn off before...it grows back."

"Oh, right," said Jackie, calming down.

The door started to open. "Wait for it..." said Matt. NegaMorph walked out and Matt yelled, "NOW!" Both he and Jackie jumped on top of NegaMorph.

"Ow! What's the big idea?" snapped NegaMorph. Matt and Jackie noticed that NegaMorph appeared to be acting normal again...confirmed when he banged their heads together and walked past them muttering about revenge.

"Ok, so he doesn't have the ring anymore," said Matt.

"Then who does?" asked Jackie.

There was a flash of light from Jade's room. "Oh, please no," said Matt, facepalming.

"Well, what's the worse it could do her?" asked Jackie before opening the door. The two of them nearly didn't recognize the room. Instead of having posters of Super Moose, photos of herself and her family, and various electronic devices, the room was now lined with bamboo walls, with simple rugs on the floor, a mat in the corner, and Chinese decorations on the wall.

Matt walked back to the door and checked there wasn't a portal connected to the doorframe before coming back in. "You sure this is Jade's room?" he said.

"At least it used to be," said Jackie as he looked at the Ming vase that definitely wasn't there before.

"Ah, greetings, honorable uncle and honored guest." The two of them turned to see Jade, or at least what they thought was Jade. Her hair was in a braided pigtail and she was wearing clothes that looked more suitable on a child from medieval China. "I apologize for having my room in such disarray. I was just about to clean it. May I offer you some jasmine tea?"

"What the smeg?" said Matt in a level voice.

"Jade? Are you feeling alright?" asked Jackie.

"Perfectly, honorable uncle," said Jade, "Though I do feel a slight bit of homesickness. It is not easy to adapt to the modern America."

Matt pointed to the ring. "Can I see that please?" he said, innocently.

"If you wish," said Jade, "I'm not sure how I acquired this ring, but you may see it." She slid the ring off her finger and there was a flash of purple light before Jade and her room turned back to normal. "Yuck," said Jade, "I can't believe I was wearing a dress!"

Matt looked at the ring which sat in his hand innocently. "You're not fooling anyone," he said to it.

Just then, Chloe came in. "What was NegaMorph so huffed up about?" she asked. Then she spotted the ring in Matt's hand. "Ooh, nice ring. Can I see it?" She took it from Matt's hand before he could say anything.

"CHLOE...NOOOO!" screamed Matt and tackled her...too late.

There was a big flash of purple light and Matt just barely got the courage to look at what happened. If you hadn't seen it happen, you wouldn't have believe it. Chloe was now wearing a yellow shirt designed to show off her midrift, a pair of jeans that showed off her calves, platform sandals, and her hair in a bouncy ponytail.

Matt said weakly, "Chloe?"

"Omigosh, this is ring is totally awesome," said Chloe in a voice that was so chipper and perky that it made Matt cringe.

Matt said weakly, "Good...I'm glad you like it...can I take a look at it?" He was careful how he voiced this as unlike the other hosts, Chloe could fly off.

"Oh, I, like, have to get some earrings to match this ring," said Chloe, "And a bunch of cute new clothes too. Catch ya later." With that, Chloe skipped out the door.

"Stop her!" yelled Matt, lunging at her and catching the closing door...with his face. "I see sooo many stars," he gibbered from the floor.

"Uh, how about we take a break?" asked Jackie, "I don't think Chloe's going to be a danger to anyone."

"Ok, Cyril...I dun wanna do the training today anyway," said Matt, his eyes gently spinning.

"Yeah, let's order out," said Jade, "I've got a major craving for egg rolls."

Half an hour later and Matt had recovered a bit. "That ring's a menace. If I ever meet the guy who made it...SQUASH!" said Matt, bringing his fist down on the table.

"Well, it hasn't made anyone do anything evil," said Jackie, "It's more of a nuisance than a menace."

"And what if it wakes up Silvia? She's bad news and would probably kill us all...especially me," said Matt, shuddering at the thought of Silvia coming back.

"Uncle said it would keep away from dangerous personalities," said Jackie, "Shouldn't we go after her now?"

Matt thought about how Chloe had sold his weapon collection while he had been on Avalar. "She needs time to mellow out anyway," he said, innocently.

"Yeah, but she's going on a major shopping spree," said Jade.

"So?" said Matt.

"She's got access to your credit account," pointed out Jade.

Matt sighed. "Ah crap...WARDEN? Where's Chloe?" he said into his comm.

"At the shopping mall, Captain," said WARDEN, "I believe she dragged along Chip as well."

"Freeze my card and tell Chris to meet me there." said Matt.

Shortly after that, Matt, Chris, Jackie, and Jade were walking into the mall. "How are we going to find her?" asked Jackie.

"Duh, check all the clothing stores," said Jade. Matt looked around before homing in on the closest store.

"This could take a while," said Jackie.

"Not that long," said Jade, pointing at what appeared to be a small mountain made of shopping bags and boxes. It was also being held up by four pairs of metal crab-like legs.

"Hi, Chip," said Matt immediately, "Where's my dear sister?"

"I think she just went into Apostate's," said Chip, "Kinda hard to say for certain because all I can see is her new swimwear. By the way, mind telling me what's going on?"

"Magic," said Chris simply.

"Of course," said Chip, "Just so you know, she's actually made some good purchases. Nothing that's gaudy or will go out of style too quick."

Matt said in a distant voice, "Is this the voice of someone who CARES?"

"Depends, I'm speaking to Matt, right?" asked Chip.

Matt said, "If you don't help us get that ring, I'll turn you into a microwave."

"What ring?" asked Chip.

"The one on her finger," said Chris.

"You're going to have to be more specific than that," said Chip, "She bought several rings."

Matt's eye twitched. "How much did she spend?" he said in a distant voice.

Chris said, "Wow...go to your happy place, Lynch."

Just then, Chloe came out of a store. She was now wearing a pink top with spaghetti strings, a pair of short shorts, and calf-high boots. "Hey guys, what do you think?" said Chloe, "I bet a lot cute guys will like this get-up."

The group just stared in shock. "Chloe...give me the ring...before I shoot you," said Matt after a minute, "There is no way in any universe in existence I will let you wear THAT!"

"You're just jealous that you can't look this good," said Chloe.

"No, I'd just rather not have my sister look like jailbait. Right, Chris?" said Matt.

Matt turned to see Chris just staring before glaring and yelling into Chris's ear, "CHRIS...FOCUS!"

"Guys, let a girl handle this," said Jade before walking up to Chloe. "Wow, Chloe, you look great."

Chloe looked down at Jade and said, "Wow, you really, like, think so?"

"Yeah, but there's one little problem," said Jade, "Didn't you hear that amethysts went out of style?"

"What?" cried Chloe.

"Oh yeah, they're like so last week. Nobody with good fashion taste would be caught dead wearing one," said Jade.

Chloe looked down at the Anansi ring and pulled it off before tossing it aside. However, when the flash of purple light happened, Chloe was still wearing that outfit. "Huh, shouldn't her clothes be turning back to normal?" asked Jackie.

"They are back to normal," said Chip, They're in my face now."

Chloe said in the voice equivalent of a shortening fuse, "What happened to my battle armor?"

"It's in here," said Chip, "Back to their original shape. Can I put these clothes down now?"

Chloe said, "Yes...what happened? Last thing I remember is that ring...it was magic, wasn't it."

"Yep, it's enchanted to flip-flop the wearer's personality," said Matt, "Supposed to be a real laugh for parties."

Chloe sighed and put her hand on Matt's shoulder before electrocuting him. "Where is it? I have an urge for vandalism," she growled.

"Right there," said Matt, pointing at the ring, which was trying to scurry away.

Chloe sent a lightning bolt at the ring that managed to dodge it with a worried squeak before heading for Chip. "Chip...heads up!" said Matt, sitting up.

"Heads up for what?" asked Chip, "I can't see anything except ladies' clothes."

Matt covered his eyes just before there was a flash of purple light. "Ah crap," he said.

The boxes and bags fell aside, revealing Chip wearing a pair of overalls with a red kneckerchief in the pocket, a straw hat, and a straw sticking out of his mouth. "Hyuck, howdy partners," he said in a distinctive Southern twang.

Matt peered between his fingers. "Hmm...coulda been worse. It coulda flipped his lack of violence around too," he said.

Chip looked at Chloe said, "Golley, why you's about as purty as my pick'em-up truck." Chloe's eyes actually glowed ruby red at that as the final straw was snapped before she electrocuted Chip. "Yeow. Didn't know lightning could strike indoors like that," said Chip, "Gonna have ta, have ta, what's that stuff that protects ya from electricity?"

"Erm...you erm..." said Matt before Jade said "...wear jewelry after being struck by lightning."

"Do ya?" said Chip, "That der's pretty odd. But this ring shines as purty as my tractor after a nice greasing-down."

Matt snapped at this and jumped on Chip. "Gimmie that ring!" he said, pulling it off.

In a flash of purple, Chip was back to normal. "Ugh, I can't believe I sank that low," he said.

Matt glared at the ring, changing his hand to draconic to make sure it didn't escape. "Oh no you don't," he said triumphantly.

"Let's get back to Section 13," said Jackie.

"I hope you don't expect me to carry all those clothes back," said Chip.

Matt kept a good hold on the ring, "I vote we crush this thing before the wrong guy gets it on his finger."

"Yes, it is too dangerous to belong in a museum," said Jackie, "As if it would stay in one."

Matt nodded and began to heat up his hand. "I'm sure Uncle won't mind," he said.

However, the ring was not about to let Matt do that. So in desperation, it extended its fangs and bit his finger. "Gah!" yelled Matt, opening his hand in reflex. The ring took the advantage and wrapped itself around the finger it just bit. Matt's eyes glowed purple for a minute but it seemed like nothing had happened other then Matt looked a bit shellshocked.

"Huh, maybe it's low on power," said Chris, "Anyhow, I think I've had enough for today. Wanna head back to Section 13?"

"Sure...let's go," said Matt.

As the gang headed back to Section 13, nobody had the thought that Matt's perfect flip personality was Draconus, who was currently wondering what was going on. Not only was he free from the mental prison he had been trapped in but he couldn't hear Matt.

_'How did I get free?'_ he thought to himself, _'Couldn't be Taleth's doing. I don't think there's been any corrupting magic. And Matt's not nearly angry enough.'_ His gaze fell on the ring on his finger and Draconus quickly caught on as he sensed the magic from it. _'Hmm...useful...but I can't have Matt's friends catch on,'_ he thought.

"Matt, you've been so quiet," said Jackie.

Draconus jumped and quickly delved into Matt's memories. "Oh...sorry. Just thinking," he said.

"Yeah, it's been a pretty weird day," said Chris.

'Matt' nodded, "You're telling me. Full of surprises."

"So this ring's been making people act like their polar opposites," said Chip, "I was wondering why Chloe was so obsessed with shopping. Not to mention her choice of words."

"You've seen her in action before. Stands to reason her mirror image would be...a bit light headed," said Draconus.

"Speaking of which, as far as anyone's being told, that ring didn't land on me. Got it?" said Chloe, her eyes sparking with electricity for emphasis.

The others all nodded carefully except for Draconus. "Sure, fine," he said

"Good," said Chloe, "When we get back, I'm changing out of this. I'm showing way too much." She lifted her leg a bit and someone in a passing car started honking. Chloe turned and it was only cause Jackie and Chris were fast that she didn't blast the car into confetti-sized bits.

"Uh, yeah, let's get back ASAP," said Chris.

Back at Section 13, Draconus looked around. First thing he needed to do was make sure nobody caught on until he had a chance to escape.

He saw Draco and Contrinus walking by. "Who would have thought that I'd end up that nerdy," said Draco.

"Well, that means your normal self must be really cool," said Contrinus.

Draconus sighed to himself as they passed. Personally he had rather liked Kai. In a way, he missed her as much as Matt. But he'd certainly hold himself up with a lot more dignity, not throw himself into despair like Matt did.

However, first thing's first. He'd have to make sure he wasn't followed when he tried to leave. To this end, he had gone to one of the dropships. He pulled open a panel and began pulling out the navigation systems.

Just then, Techo came in. "Hey Matt, what's up?" he asked. Draconus turned in surprise, still holding parts of the navigation module. Techo looked a bit confused at that. "Erm...what're you doing?" he said only to be knocked back as Matt shot him.

"Just tying up loose ends," he said.

Later, the gang was in the sick bay, looking over Techo. "How could this have happened?" asked Chris.

"It appears we have been compromised," said Chip.

"Coulda been an accident. I found an open panel near him. He probably just electrocuted himself," said 'Matt'.

"And how'd that panel get open?" demanded Chip, "With the way you fuss over them, I'd expect you to keep them in a more presentable condition."

"He was probably working on an upgrade. Neilson always gives us junk," said 'Matt', glaring at Chip.

"True that," said Chip.

"Just drop it. Accidents happen," said 'Matt', walking out.

However, Chip didn't 'drop it'. He, Jade, and the experiments didn't exactly trust Matt's confidence that it had been an accident.

"You sure we should be doing this?" asked Contrinus, "Matt won't approve of us tampering with the dropship."

"I think that ring's affected Matt more than he's letting on," said Chip.

The screen displayed the message 'File deleted by ID: Capt M, J Lynch'.

"Ooh, I don't think you'll be able to get anything out of it," said Jade.

"Watch me," said Chip before he started fiddling around with the controls.

The screen quickly changed to a view of the cockpit from earlier. Matt was kneeling in front of a open panel, tearing out cables when Techo came in. There was no sound so there was no way to know what was said but the laser blast to Techo's chest was plenty of evidence...as was when 'Matt' turned to look at the camera's direction to show his eyes glowing red.

"Glowing red eyes, never a good thing," said Jade.

"AH-hem!"

Jade turned to notice a glowering NegaMorph. "Oh, uh, there are a couple of exceptions."

'Matt' looked up this time to see the camera before aiming his laser at it and firing, making the screen go to static.

"Draconus, you think?" asked Contrinus.

"More than likely," said Draco.

Jade said, "We gotta tell the others."

Chip activated his built-in communicator and said, "Captain Black, we've got a situation."

Meanwhile, Draconus was wondering around Section 13. "Let's see, there's got to be something at least partially spaceworthy around here," he said to himself.

He stopped as three of the local agents came into the corridor in front of him. He turned to see 3 more behind him. "Hi boys. What can i do for you?" he said.

"Captain Black would like to see you," said one of the agents.

Draconus said, "What's it about? I'm a busy person."

"We have reason to believe that security's been compromised and he would like your...opinion on it," said the agent.

Draconus said, "I don't work consultants. Now if you'll excuse me." He then made to go by the agents.

The agents moved in closer. "Captain Black insists," said another agent.

Draconus sighed. "Ok...I was tired of acting like that goody two shoes anyhow," he said before backhanding one agent so hard he flew down the corridor.

Fortunately for the agents, Draconus was not in a killing mood. Captain Black and the others found them in a dazed heap in the hallway.

Chloe had followed them as soon as the word 'Draconus' had been mentioned. "I'd recommend locking down this place...and get your agents some bigger guns. Draconus might not be so friendly next time."

"So, this Draconus is like a split personality of Matt's?" asked Black.

"In a nutshell," said Chris.

"Absolutely insane...and a good planner. If we're not careful, he'll wipe this place out just to escape...and if he does we'll never find him," said Chip.

"So does he have any weaknesses?" asked Black, "I'm not asking for kryptonite, but something we could use."

"Nothing that won't kill him outright. Energy weaponry is useless...especially plasma and he's been electrocuted too many times for tazers or stun guns to work," said Chloe.

"Ok, what about character flaws?" asked Black, "Besides being a psychopath. Is he vain, pompous, have irresistible cravings?"

"Not really...not that we've seen. His worst is that he prefers to kill people who get in his way," Draco said.

"Ok, so does anyone have any ideas?" asked Black. Morph raised his hand.

"That doesn't involve eating?" added Chip. Morph lowered his hand.

"We need to get that ring off him. I bet you half my account that the ring caused Draconus to come up," said Chloe.

"Yeah, Draconus and Matt are pretty much polar opposites," said Draco.

Meanwhile, Draconus was looking for a way out of the base and trying to avoid the troopers that were running around. This was strange to him as he would usually of filleted the lot of them. "This is getting tedious," said Draconus, "Maybe I should make a new skylight for this place."

A hissing got his attention and he looked down at the ring. Something in him said that the ring was objecting. "What do you care?" he said harshly to it before realizing he was talking to a piece of jewelry. "I swear, I'm getting as loony as Matt," said Draconus.

He stopped as he heard a click behind him and turned to see who was obviously a new member of the troopers. "Hmm...good for a test," he said, changing his hands to draconic and advancing on the trooper.

Suddenly, the ring started squeezing his finger very painfully. Draconus snarled and slammed down on the rings jewel. "This is my body..." he snarled. However, the ring responded by biting his finger. "Ow! Well if you don't like it, why don't you pop off?" snapped Draconus.

Draconus suddenly realized exactly what had properly broke him out and grabbed the ring before it could jump off. "Oh, no you don't, my little 'get-out-of-jail-free' card," he said before looking at the trooper. "Get lost," he snarled.

"Um, I have orders to bring you in," said the trooper.

"Oh really?" said Draconus, extending his teeth into fangs and grinning, "You and what army?"

The trooper fainted away at that and Draconus grinned. "I can still have fun," he said before realizing that maybe that archeologist's place might have something that would make sure the ring stayed in place...no matter what he did. "Ok, first I need to get out of here. Then I'll go raid the old geezer's shop," said Draconus.

Draconus picked up the trooper at that and slapped him a few times till he woke up. "Tell me how to get out or I'll eat you." he said simply

"You, you wouldn't!" squeaked the trooper.

Draconus turned into his dragon hybrid form and roared in the trooper's face. "Wouldn't I?" he said. The trooper simply sighed and fainted again. "Dang it," growled Draconus, "I have got to find a better way to interrogate normal people without scaring them too much." He then checked the trooper's pocket and pulled out an access card. "Of course...this isn't a total loss."

Of course, Draconus was too busy thinking to remember to blast the cameras as he went. As a result, he was spotted blasting the access door off the stairs.

The others were watching Draconus on the camera, or what was left of it. "Oh great, now where is he going?" asked Jackie.

"If I were him, I'd want to find a way to keep me up on top over Matt forever," said Chloe.

"And I bet there's something at Uncle's that can do just that," said Jade.

Jackie immediately got on his phone, "Uncle, there's a problem with the ring..."

Draconus, using Matt's memories, easily found Uncle's shop. "Let's see, should I be polite and knock or just yank the door off first?" said Draconus to himself.

After a minute, he aimed a plasma blast and blew the door apart, ignoring the ring's protest. "Squeeze all you want..." he said, walking through the door.

"Ai ya! Uncle has doorbell for reason!" snapped Uncle as he came out from the back, "You had better be ready to pay for that!"

Matt threw a plasma blast in uncles direction, only for the ring to throw his aim off. The blast missed and instead destroyed about half of an old printing press. "You blast it, you buy it!" snapped Uncle.

Draconus glared and walked overt before picking Uncle up. "Here's today's special offer, old man. Make this ring stay or I tear you in half," he snarled.

"Uncle does chi magic, not hoodoo," said Uncle.

Draconus turned his hands into talons and brought them down on a statue, slicing the granite easily. "Do I make myself clear? I'm not in the mood for excuses."

"Cannot be done too quickly," said Uncle, "Need to research proper spell to make ring stay. Cannot be hasty when mixing magic."

I SAID NO EXCUSES!" roared Draconus.

"Uncle does not make excuses, he makes distractions," said Uncle.

"What?" said Draconus before a glob of something shot into his face, blinding him, and causing him to drop Uncle. "Who did that? I need to know for your tombstone."

"Just call me the hog-slopper," said Jade, "Now!" Tohru, who was on the balcony, nodded and lifted up a tankard full of grease before dumping its contents on Draconus.

Draconus roared angrily as the grease covered him and he fell over. Chloe leveled a rifle at Draconus and fired a dart at him. It seemed to work until Draconus yanked the dart off. "Right...screw what the ring thinks. I have alot of pent up rage to let loose," he said in a calm voice before igniting a plasma ball in each hand. However, the plasma balls were smaller than usual. And his hands began to burn some. "Ow! What's going on?" demanded Draconus.

"Grease conducts heat, duh," said Jade.

"Fine...the old fashioned way," said Draconus and reached for his blaster only for Jackie to come out of nowhere and snatch the gun out his hand.

"You are really trying my temper, Chan!" snapped Draconus.

"Sorry, I won't give it back, thank you," said Jackie, dodging Draconus's lunge.

"Get back here!" roared Draconus before trying to chase after Jackie, only to slip in the grease on the floor and fall down.

Chloe tackled Draconus from behind and was about to sedate him when the grease proved to be a double-edged sword, sending Draconus shooting out of her grip and into a wall with a painful crunch.

Chip stretched out one arm and grabbed the ring. "Let's see how well magic does against zero friction," said Chip before pulling.

The ring proved to be quite happy to come loose, the grease sending it shooting across the room and landing on Uncle.

"NO!" yelled Draconus before Matt took over. "Uh, please tell me this stuff is only grease," said Matt.

He then realized something as his last memory shot up to the front of his brain. "Where's the ring?" he said.

"Uncle, did you get it?" asked Jackie.

Uncle looked decidedly different, wearing baggy clothing, a peace medallion, and big sunglasses. "You need to relax, man," said Uncle, "All that hype's gonna drain you dry."

Matt looked at Uncle before saying, "It can stay there," in a exhausted voice.

"It can go wherever it wants," said Uncle, "It's a free spirit, it's gotta roam."

"Oh great, it's Mr. Happypants," moaned Jade.

Matt said to Jade, "I probably have to pay a few million credits in damages. It can stay there," in an annoyed voice.

"Uh...Uncle needs to relax anyways," said Jackie, "He's been so stressed up lately with all his research."

"Nephew has a very good point," said Uncle, "Uncle needs to take off time for Uncle."

After 24 hours, they eventually decided to lock the ring up in the vault. Matt was glaring at the ring which seemed to emit an air of embarrassment. "You stay in there...otherwise you will have a brief meeting with a lump hammer," he said to it.

The ring made a rude sign at Matt with its eight legs before Matt slammed the vault on it. He turned to the others and said, "Now, we're going to walk away from that ring, we're never letting it out, and we're never going to speak of this ever again."

Chris looked at NegaMorph and muttered to Matt, "Almost never."

"Sure, whatever," said Matt, "I want to take a nap now. Don't wake me on pain of being chewed up and spat out."

Later, Matt was sleeping in the dropship when he heard something. He turned to see Draconus standing on the ramp. Naturally the first thing Matt did was shoot at him, only for the blast to go through. "For heaven's sake...I'm not really here," said Draconus with a smirk.

"Oh, I get it, I must be dreaming," said Matt before squeezing his eyes shuts and concentrating.

"What are you doing?" asked Draconus.

"I'm trying to imagine you standing there in your underpants," said Matt.

Draconus sighed and punched Matt across the jaw before pulling him up by his shirt collar. "I thought I'd pop in, just so you know that you're never gonna be rid of me. One day...you'll slip up and then I'll be back...permanently," said Draconus evilly.

"In your dreams, well, my dream actually," said Matt.

Matt woke up properly a second later to hear something outside. "What the...oh, for heaven's sake. I said no interruptions," muttered Matt, turning to dragon form to carry out his previous threat. He trotted down the ramp to see a worrying sight.

NegaMorph in his butler outfit and Jade in her traditional China girl outfit walked up to Matt. "Sir, may I offer you a spot of tea?" asked NegaMorph.

"Yes, tea for the honorable guest," said Jade.

Matt stared in horror, his eye twitching before making a 'gnnnnnh' noise in his throat.

Then his eye caught a nerdy Draco and a sophisticated Morph sitting in chairs. "I feel that Darwin's theory can extended to included species of artificial origin and nature. Because even recombiant DNA can adapt to cope with survival-of-the-fittest. Do you concur?" said Morph.

"Yes," said Draco before inhaling loudly, "Makes perfect sense to me."

Matt began to make a 'nyeergh' voice in the back of his throat, his pupils reduced to pinpricks.

Then country Chip came flying into the room before skidding along the ground. A punk Contrinus stomped in and said, "Call me a rooster again and I'll really let you have it, cottonpicker!"

"Gadzooks!" said Chip, "That there be the orneriest hen I ever did see!"

This turned out to be the final straw and with an almost auditable snapping noise he screamed and flew up and out...via the roof, leaving a decent silhouette behind.

As soon as Matt was gone, Jade and the experiments started laughing their heads off. "You know Matt's going to kill us when he finds out," said Chip.

"Totally worth it," said Draco.

**

* * *

**

There's another chapter. This is another filler, and a pretty funny one if I do say so myself. Of course, it's a bit of a shame that I couldn't flip-flop some more of the Chan family's personalities, but Uncle and Jade were the only ones I could think reversals of. Speaking of which, Jade's refering to Hippy Uncle as 'Mr. Happypants' is a callback to the episode where Dai Gui was relased, when Jade went into Uncle's rather unusual dream. Anyways, next week will have more demons and be very exciting. Don't miss it and please review.


	6. Chi Moon Madness

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 6: Chi Moon Madness**

Being members of the NSC, the gang had access to pretty advanced technology, at least higher than most people they meet have. Of course, that isn't always appreciated.

"I keep saying. Magic must defeat magic," said Uncle.

Techo and Chip looked at the device in question...admittedly it didn't look like its Earth equivalent but it had a sign. "It's a microwave," said Techo.

"Feh, Uncle doesn't need fancy technology. Uncle always gets by with what he has," said Uncle.

Techo sighed and pressed a button. Unfortunately this microwave needed maintenance...but Uncle had pulled the 'out of order' sign off earlier. As a result, a green stream of flame shot out and blasted Techo in the face.

"Ai ya! Machine is possessed by demonic magic!" cried Uncle.

Chip looked at Techo before saying, "Nope...just a fried safety regulator."

Techo coughed and said, "How much radiation poisoning did I get?"

Chip looked at his RAD-detector and gulped as the detector popped. "Erm...I think you should go see Lao," he said in a desperately cheerful voice.

Techo sighed and said, "Well, I better go if I want to save my hair."

Uncle watched as Techo headed off, his head glowing as he passed through a darkened area. "I told you technology wasn't so great," said Uncle.

Chip said, "He'll be fine in 5 minutes. How many radiation cures does Magic have?" he said, adding the magic part sarcastically.

"Bah, Uncle never has to worry about radiation, unlike clunky tin can."

"Well, I don't either," snapped Chip, a bit angrily.

"At least Uncle does not depend so heavily on machines," snapped Uncle, "You're more metal than flesh."

"It's how Jumba put me together. At least I don't need tea every 2 minutes," retorted Chip. Matt and NegaMorph had been passing and were now watching, unnoticed.

"You do not mock the power of tea!" snapped Uncle before whacking Chip on the forehead with two fingers.

Chip glared. "And stop doing that, it echoes," he said before he and Uncle noticed Matt and NegaMorph.

"Don't stop on our account," said NegaMorph.

However, Uncle forgot that Chip's brow was metal causing him to grab his hand and wince. "Mechanical trickery!" cried Uncle, "Uncle will have his revenge!"

"With what?" said Chip.

Matt sighed and finally said, "Break it up, play nice, children. Uncle, we found out where that demon chi was coming from. WARDEN found it."

…

The demon chi, in question, was coming from Earth's orbit, which could only mean one demon. However, in this field, the crew had the home field advantage, so to speak. The Bladestorm was 'parked' at the area where the moon elemental energy was building up. And seeing since Uncle was not the astronaut type and how they wanted to prevent Jackie and Tohru from overwhelmed by severe culture shock, the crew decided to do this solo, with Draco casting the spell.

"Think everything's covered?" asked Draco in the Bladestorm's bridge.

"Spell ingredients are all here and the moon hotspot's currently aligned with Bay 3," said Matt, "I'd say we're golden."

"Are you sure that Tso Lan will be released here?" asked Chris, "Ghoulwyrm and Drago couldn't possibly get up here."

"You realize you have now tempted fate," said Matt tiredly, before going to the intercom and saying, "Someone said it, heavy weapon teams to Bay 3, just in case."

"Oh, please, I think we can prevent a couple of stowaways getting aboard," said Chloe.

A marine came in with a familiar person. "Look who we found," the marine said, leading Jade in.

"Heh, hi guys," said Jade.

Chloe sighed, "You know...I'm not surprised."

Matt added, "But I am, how in hell did you get aboard?"

"I bribed the spiderbots," said Jade.

Matt raised an eyebrow, impressed, also making a note to hide the spiderbots DVD's for a week. "Impressive...now then. You realize that this is a battlecruiser. So don't press anything. You might accidentally vaporize Canada," he said, ignoring one of the crew muttering 'again.'

"If this is a spaceship, then how comes everyone's not floating around?" asked Jade.

"Gravity generators, gyro's...all kinds of fun stuff. Ask Techo, he knows more," said Chris.

"Cool," said Jade, "Can we turn them off and play zero-gravity hockey?"

"No," said all the adults.

"Ah..." groaned Jade.

In another section of the ship, at the dropship that had brought the gang aboard, a canister began to shake before Ghoulwyrm fell out of it. Unfortunately for him, the crew had forgotten to secure his canister for takeoff and he had not had a pleasant flight.

Ghoulwyrm stretched as his bones clicked back into place. "Sweet Yorick, that was a long squeeze," he said. He had to become intangible in order to squeeze into the canister and it was not a comfortable experience in long terms.

He stopped dead in horror when he saw what was in sleep mode, hooked up to a generator...30 spiderbots. "Ok...I'm going to go veeery quietly and carefully," muttered Ghoulwyrm, doing the floating equivalent of tip-toeing round the bots, freezing every time one twitched till he finally got out. Surprisingly, Ghoulwyrm was able to get by them. _'Wow, I can't believe I made it. I should be worried about how easy that was, but I've got more important things to do,'_ he thought.

As he left, the spiderbots all turned to watch him go. They'd known perfectly well that he was there but they had decided to give him a head start...

…

Meanwhile, Chip was assigned to keep an eye on Jade, and this was disguised a tour around the Bladestorm.

Jade noticed several spiderbots working on replacing a circuit relay. "Hey...those are the bots that were sneaking around Section 13," she said to Chip.

"Yes, there are few places that the spiderbots can't get into," said Chip, "I think they avoid bathrooms, but I'm sure that's mostly professional courtesy." The spiderbots stopped work to watch the duo go by with a very predatory look. "Erm...you want to be careful around them," added Chip.

"Why's that?" asked Jade, "They don't try to eat you, do they?"

"No, I've yet to see them actually digest anything, but they are probably the definite of consummate pranksters. And they're virtually indestructible."

As if on cue, the circuit relay exploded. The spiderbots around it didn't even notice the small fireball that had engulfed them.

"Uh, is there anything good about these guys?" asked Jade.

"They rarely attack people for no reason," said Chip, adding, "Usually."

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm was invisibly sneaking around Bay 3. "Hmm, I'll need an appropriate distraction," said Ghoulwyrm, "Something that will leave them too busy to deal with me."

Ghoulwyrm could see that the age of the ship was showing. Weld points and replaced pieces of armor could be seen. "Hmm," said Ghoulwyrm, spotting the blue cable of a relay for sector life support. Ghoulwyrm cautiously pinched the cable and said, "This should get their attention," before sending a few electrical pulses through it.

Immediately red lighting came on and a voice began to say, "Warning...Life support failure in Bay 3. All organic personnel evacuate at once."

"Hmm, that should do it," said Ghoulwyrm. The marines all headed for the exits just in time as on the third announcement, the doors sealed with a crash.

"Good, now that I have some privacy, it's time to get to work," said Ghoulwyrm as he removed a satchel full of ingredients from his chest cavity.

Up on the bridge, Matt got a shock when the computer issued the life support warning. "Chip...I thought you'd managed to convince the spiderbots to fix the Deck 4 systems," he said into his comm.

"I did," said Chip, "The spiderbots may be mischief incarnate, but they wouldn't mess with life support."

"Of course they would if they were sure everyone could get out. Just go down there and fix it," said Matt.

"Ok, fine," grumbled Chip.

Down in Bay 3, Ghoulwyrm looked up as emergency power kicked in. It wasn't enough for anyone to bother him though. He was wrong. It was enough...just not enough for full organics.

Little did Ghoulwyrm know, Chip, whose organs were primarily designed to nurture his twin brains, was capable of holding his breath for up to 10 minutes. And since his exostructure was hermetically-sealed, he was capable of working in a vacuum for a bit of time. Also, with no air, neither parties heard each other as Chip came in to fix the atmosphere, Ghoulwyrm hidden behind a dropship.

_'Ok, just need to find the environmental control and set them straight again, piece of cake,'_ thought Chip, _'Though I get the feeling that they could have easily sent a simple robot to take care of this. But no, they'd rather send me. I was designed to be able to hack supercomputers, not patch up old ships.'_

Ghoulwyrm was thinking similar thoughts. _'I go to all this trouble to bust them out, risking un-life and limbs to bust them out of limbo but do I get a 'well done, Ghoulwyrm'? Nooo...It's 'don't drink the blood of the hostage, Ghoulwyrm.' I need an agent.'_

Chip examined the cable connected to life support. To his surprise, it wasn't cut, but zapped. Chip fiddled with the system, making it so the power came from another system. Within a second, a faint hissing was heard as air began to slowly flow back into the vacuum of the bay. As soon as it was safe to breathe, Chip said, "There, that ought to do it."

Unfortunately, he could now hear a new noise...the familiar crackle of a demon portal opening. Chip suddenly began to question the nature of the damage being accidental. "I sure hope I'm wrong," said Chip as he started to look around the bay.

Chip slowly crept around the side of the dropship to see Ghoulwyrm in a trance, a demon portal in the ground. Ghoulwyrm must have already sent the Shadowkhan to retrieve the Moon Demon. "Hmm, this is very bad. I should warn the others," said Chip to himself.

However, not all the Shadowkhan had gone. One had surfaced behind him and picked Chip up by hooking him on one of its claws. "Hey! Put me down, you overgrown insect!" snapped Chip.

Ghoulwyrm had heard this and said, "Bring him...now," concentrating too much on the portal to use a full sentence.

The Shadowkhan brought Chip to the summoning circle. "Where's lizard boy?" asked Chip.

"Left him. Not needed here," said Ghoulwyrm in the same simple tones as he concentrated. However the distraction showed when the portal's perfect circle edge rippled.

"Oh, I get it," said Chip, "Drago can't go into space without asphyxiating so you went solo. But I didn't think you'd be able to reach here by yourself. Not without taking the better part of a day."

Ghoulwyrm snarled, "Silence him," and the Shadowkhan whacked Chip against the side of the dropship. Chip had been hoping that this entire fiasco was on security cams for the gang, however he had used power from the local security systems to reboot life support...so no cameras.

Just then, the portal flared and grew larger. Then, slowly, a figure rose from it. He was mainly dressed in a red and purple Chinese robe. He would have looked almost human if it weren't for the light blue skin, the small pair of arms beneath his first pair, and the beetlelike mandibles with a long tongue flickering out of it.

Ghoulwyrm finally released the magic hold that was keeping the portal open, making the portal close. "Phew...Tso Lan. I am Ghoulwyrm, your releaser and humble servant."

Tso Lan calmly looked around and said in a somewhat bored tone, "And I suppose these are to be my new minions?"

"Yes. These Shadowkhan are yours to command. The tin can over there however is not. One of those who would aid in your re-imprisonment. He was caught spying," said Ghoulwyrm, gesturing to the semi-active and dazed Chip.

Tso Lan rubbed his chin and said, "An interesting creature, what is it?"

"A cybernetic genetic experiment called Chip 629. A major thorn in plans usually...but mostly useless at the moment," said Ghoulwyrm. He stopped when he heard what sounded like a faint giggle from the vents above. "There are...more dangerous things about."

Tso Lan briefly glanced up and said, "It would seem we will need to continue this in a more private location. Can this creature exist without air?"

"For a while...not too long. Might I suggest crushing it?" said Ghoulwyrm.

"Not yet," said Tso Lan, "I wish to study it more."

Ghoulwyrm said, "I really would advise against that. Cybernetic lifeforms on this vessel are more dangerous than you think...the small ones are the worst. This one will easily sound the alarm the second he regains consciousness."

"Not if we're not on this vessel," said Tso Lan.

"He won't be awake in time for us to interrogate him if we leave. He is part organic and he needs to breath at some point," said Ghoulwyrm.

"That can be easily fixed," said Tso Lan as his four hands started to glow with dark chi, "Hold him still."

The two Shadowkhan pinned Chip as he woke up. "Yow...hey...lemme go!" he said.

"Your pain shall only be momentary," said Tso Lan.

"Pain? What pain?" said Chip, worriedly. Ghoulwyrm smirked as Tso Lan went to work.

Another bump from the vent made Ghoulwyrm jump a bit. "Let's finish soon," said Ghoulwyrm, "They've got surprisingly good security here."

"Please...I can crush any contraption they use," said Tso Lan. Ghoulwyrm gulped as he was the only one to hear a faint 'Not twice'.

Under Tso Lan's spell, Chip's body started to alter. It didn't seem too much, mostly his growing long black luxurious hair and his beak-like mouth extending into mandibles with a long tongue. Then his eye opened, which was now blood red. Chip looked at his new master and bowed as best as he could which was not easy, so Tso Lan let him off that lack of etiquette.

"Now comes our time to depart this metal ship," said Tso Lan.

Suddenly a tune began to echo from the grating over the trio's head. "What is that?" said Tso Lan in an irritated voice.

"It sounds like the theme tune to Jaws," said Chip, confused.

Ghoulwyrm slumped gloomily. "No...it's just that security I warned you about," he said in a depressed voice before the vent above him opened and several dozen spiderbots buried him.

"What are those?" asked Tso Lan.

"Those would be the spiderbots," said Chip, "They're just as vicious as they are irritating."

One spiderbot had managed to pull Ghoulwyrm's head off and they were now carting said head for one of the garbage chutes that led to outside. "Oh no...not again," said Ghoulwyrm before the spiderbots pushed him down the chute, one jumping up and down on him as Ghoulwyrm tried to use his head tentacles to hold himself out.

"Shouldn't we help him?" asked Chip.

"What, and spoil the entertainment?" said Tso Lan.

One of the spiderbots jumped on the 'eject' lever and they all chittered in their laugh-like way in a way that even made Tso Lan a bit uneasy. The laughing suddenly stopped like someone had hit mute and they all turned to look at the duo in a 'cat spotting a sleeping mouse' kind of way.

"Perhaps it is time to make our exit," said Chip.

"We shall plenty of time," said Tso Lan, "These vermin shall not be able to follow us." He waved his hand and suddenly every spiderbot lost their gravity, remaining suspended in mid air.

Chip said "Take it from me, that won't work a second time. I don't know how but it won't," said Chip. Indeed, the spiderbots were already starting to move very slowly, like they were on slow motion. "Interesting," said Tso Lan.

"These aren't all the spiderbots on this ship, and the rest are probably immune now somehow," said Chip.

Tso Lan thought about this. What was fascinating him now was that the spiderbots didn't seem too worried by no gravity, seeming instead to enjoy themselves. His new apprentice was right, these guys were definitely irritating. Chip however noticed a pattern that came to fruition when the spiderbots managed to knock one of their numbers to float into the alarm button.

…

Meanwhile, Matt had been waiting for Chip to come back. "What's taking him so long?" said Matt, "I'm pretty sure someone as smart as him should have fixed the problem by now."

It was at this point that the alarms began to ring. "Alert...unidentified lifeforms in docking bay," said WARDEN. It was a note of the fact that the AI didn't really like his masters that he already knew what had been going on and had been running bets with the ship's sub-routines for when the crew would actually catch on.

"For crying out loud," said Matt, "If it's those little green men again, I swear I'll cement them onto a passing comet."

Matt led a small team down to the cargo bay with murder in mind. "Chip? Chip, what the hell's going on in there?" Matt said into his comm. No response came on the other side. "I'm giving you to the count of three to tell me what's going on," said Matt, "One, two..." A half-intangible hand with three long claws reached through the door and grabbed Matt's head. It banged Matt's head against the door a couple of times before withdrawing. "...Nine?" said Matt in a dazed voice.

Chris, who had tagged along poked Matt where he had fallen down. "Just a hunch, but I'd say that Ghoulwyrm's in there," he said.

Matt said in a strained voice, "Gee...what...was your...first...clue?"

"So, should we get the battering ram now?" asked Draco.

Matt got up with an annoyed look. Chris noticed the look and said, "Erm...get down."

A few seconds later, the door burst open, in several different pieces. "You know that does wear out the warranty," said Chris.

Matt stopped as a spiderbot floated by his head. "Ok...that's new," he said, flicking one and sending it floating off.

"Did I lose too many pounds or is the gravity not working right here?" said Draco as he started floating off the floor.

Matt noticed he was floating too. "Oh no...I have a bad feeling about what Ghoulwyrm was up to," he said worriedly. Growing paranoia was set aside when Matt's hat started to drift off his head.

"I can't touch anything right now," said Chris as he was trying to grab a handhold.

Matt sadly wasn't listening. "CHIP...IF YOU'RE PLAYING WITH THE GRAVITY, I'LL TURN YOU INTO A WIND-UP TOY!"

"What's the matter, Lynch? Don't have a stable footing?" said a familiar creepy voice.

This was where Matt made a mistake, pulling out his blaster and firing. This was an interesting demonstration of opposing forces: his shot going one way and he going in the opposite direction, a wonderful flashback to what his old plasma magnum used to do.

"Careful, Lynch," said Ghoulwyrm, "Not everyone has the ability to float."

"Where's Chip, you overgrown snake?" said Matt once his ricocheting had brought him close enough.

"Chip? Oh, he's out, getting to know his new master," said Ghoulwyrm.

Chris said, "What are you talking about?" sneakily grabbing a spiderbot as he went by and aiming a throw.

"Well, let's think about that for a moment. We're halfway to the moon, the gravity in here is out of order, I'm here but Chip's not, think you can figure that out?" said Ghoulwyrm.

Chris glared, "Talk to the spiderbot."

Ghoulwyrm said, "Talk to wha..MMMPH!" and was cut off as Chris threw a spiderbot onto his snout. The spiderbot squealed with glee before plunging forward. Ghoulwyrm gave out a cry of pain and started clawing at the spiderbot. The group watched as the spiderbot managed to activate its boosters, sending the unfortunate undead bouncing, screaming round the room.

"Ok, so what was Ghoulwyrm talking about again?" asked Draco.

"Something about Chip meeting his new...mas...ter…" said Matt, his voice trailing off as his brain supplied the result. "Isn't there a Moon Demon?" he said before Ghoulwyrm's random bouncing had him collide with Matt.

"I think so," said Draco, "They are based on the trigrams and one of them is..."

Ghoulwyrm however had managed to grab a pipe on one of the exterior walls. "Enough is enough," he muttered, punching the hull.

"What do you think you're doing?" shouted Matt.

"There are several advantages to being undead. For example, I don't need to breathe," said Ghoulwyrm, punching the wall for each word until he punctured through.

An alarm immediately began to ring as the air began to shoot out the ship. Matt's team gasped and managed to float their way out of the bay just in time.

"I'd like to stay and chat, but you can't talk in a vacuum," said Ghoulwyrm before floating through the wall. Matt managed a parting shot that made a neat hole through Ghoulwyrm's head. "Ah, hell...you know how annoying that is?" said Ghoulwyrm as he left.

"That guy just keeps getting creepier," said Draco.

…

Meanwhile, on a section on the moon known as the Ibrum Sea, Tso Lan was taking some time to instruct his new apprentice in the magic of gravitational manipulation. Chip was concentrating on a large rock that was hovering in the moons low gravity. "Good so far," said Tso Lan, "Just don't let your concentration falter."

Ghoulwyrm sadly chose that moment to land in front of Chip. "Lord Tso Lan...eeeeee…" he managed. The 'eeee' was caused when he broke Chip's concentration and the rock shot into a...painful place at a good fraction of local lightspeed.

"A rather inappropriate time to appear," said Tso Lan.

"You're telling me...if I wasn't already dead...I'd be wishing I was…" squeaked Ghoulwyrm.

"I see," said Tso Lan, "What news to report?"

"Oh...just a little..." he began before a pulse blast shot from above and roasted him, "...that," he rasped, pointing to the Bladestorm sitting overhead.

Tso Lan peered up as laser blasts were shooting at him, missing by mere inches. "It would seem your enemies are quite intent on my destruction," said Tso Lan in a calm, almost bored tone.

Chip said smugly, "Those are warning shots. Lynch is a better shot then this."

"I see," said Tso Lan, "Here's an interesting fact: even light bends to gravity." He waved his arm and the space in front of him distorted.

Unfortunately it seemed that the laser blasts WERE going back...if Ghoulwyrm had been shooting them, judging how all the blasts were ricocheting into him. "Ow! Why are you letting them hit me?" yelled Ghoulwyrm.

"I wish to see how powerful this vessel is," said Tso Lan in a matter-of-fact voice.

Ghoulwyrm said, "I hate you so much."

Tso Lan then turned to Chip and said, "I believe some infiltration work is in order now."

Chip nodded. "Simply manipulating the moon's orbit would not work. The NSC would simply step in to correct the orbit," he said.

"They have technology capable of doing that?" questioned Tso Lan.

"Indeed. They have ships capable of carving the Earth up like a ham," said Chip.

"Hmm, then perhaps it is not the moon's orbits that requires a change of course," said Tso Lan, "Do you think you can secure a place for me inside their ship?"

Chip smirked, "Quite easily. The captain never bothered to lock me out of the system."

"Excellent," said Tso Lan, "Then all we need is a suitable distraction."

Ghoulwyrm looked at the others. "What? Why are you...Oh no...Not a chance," he said, backing up. He had no wish to be torn into undead confetti by the spiderbots.

"You did say you were willing to serve me," said Tso Lan, "Unless you wish to change allegiances."

Ghoulwyrm actually considered it for a second. He wouldn't get torn apart by the spiderbots so much and the Lynches wouldn't keep chopping his head off. Of course, they were good, he was evil, and they hated each other's guts. Not to mention the thought of joining left a disgusting taste in Ghoulwyrm's mouth.

"Oh hell...fine..." he said in an annoyed voice. "Can you let me check the stitching on my...ARRRGH!" he tried to say before Chip used his gravity powers to send Ghoulwyrm shooting off towards the Bladestorm. Ghoulwyrm glanced at the oncoming Bladestorm and said, "Something tells me they've got something especially reserved for me."

The ship's autocannons, designed to stop space junk hitting the ship, sadly mistook the unlucky undead for such a thing and proceeded to fire at him till he went through the hull, bounced off the inside wall and slid to a halt. The spiderbots who had been fixing the relay were just as shocked when a gibbering, singed undead landed between them, saying 'See the pretty stars' in a dizzy voice. The spiderbots waited until Ghoulwyrm got his senses back. As soon as he realized where he was, the spiderbots allowed him to say 'oh no' before they all jumped him.

…

On the bridge, Chris spotted this and waved Matt and Chloe over to look at the security feed. "Who says there's never anything good on?" he said. Sadly this meant nobody was looking at other feeds.

…

Meanwhile, Draco and Contrinus were showing Jade more of the ship. "Up ahead's the shooting range. Don't go anywhere near it when Matt's using it," said Contrinus.

Jade peered through the door to see the large craters in the steel at the far end...and one half of a melee trainer. "Wow," she said.

"Matt's not a bad shot," said Draco, "It's just he sometimes go for the 'shock-and-awe' tactic." At those words, one of the panels fell off at the far end. "He forgets the 'awe' part sometimes," finished Draco.

"And up here is Chip's workshop," said Contrinus, "He likes to tinkers with things, upgrading, building, you get the idea."

Draco opened the workshop and said, "Chip? Chip, you in here?"

"That's odd, he's normally here this time of day," said Contrinus. Just then, the lights started to flicker.

"That's also odd," said Draco.

"Warning...power drain in engineering. Security teams respond," said the PA.

…

Techo and his teams were working in engineering when the lights started to act weird. "What the hell?" said an engineer before he was suddenly sent flying.

"What's going on?" asked Techo before his center of gravity decided that the wall was the new floor.

Tso Lan appeared through the floor with Chip in tow. "Ah, hell...not another one," said one of the engineers.

"This is the security the ship employs? I'm hardly impressed," said Tso Lan.

Techo smirked and noticed the alarm button by his foot. "Oops," he said sarcastically, stepping on it. However, a viral blast from Chip stopped it in midbeep. "Oh, dammit," said Techo, before Tso Lan pinned Techo to the wall hard enough to knock him out cold.

Tso Lan turned to Chip and said, "I shall require some time to prepare. Delay anyone who would try to interfere."

Chip shrugged. "Yes, Master," he said and began hacking into the ship's systems.

…

Meanwhile, Matt had decided he better check on the rest of the ship's security after watching Ghoulwyrm get pummeled for about five minutes.

WARDEN suddenly appeared, "Sir...several control systems are being re-routed including navigation and weapon systems."

"Don't tell me Ghoulwyrm managed to hack us," said Matt, "I didn't think the old fossil was that computer-savvy. Where are they being re-routed to?"

"Engineering. I have lost all contact with Techo and his personnel and security report that the main doors into engineering are sealed from the inside," said WARDEN.

"From the inside? How could they..." started Matt, his voice petered out as realization hit him. "Do we still have communication?" he demanded.

"No...all exterior communications are offline. I have isolated connections to life support and emergency systems," said WARDEN.

"And what about internal communications?" demanded Matt.

"Partial sir, please stand by. I have isolated a feed from a camera in engineering," said WARDEN.

The screen flickered a bit before a somewhat unstable picture appeared. Matt looked at what was clearly one of the demons. "That's the thing we shot at on the moon...dead, is it, Rogers?" said Matt, glaring at the gunnery technician.

"We thought it was," said Rogers, "But everything we shot out at it bent away before it could hit him."

"WARDEN. I want a heavy squad at the lift down to engineering. Let's use some of that Anti-Magi weaponry McNeil's supposed to have given us," said Matt.

"I'm detecting unusual energy waves from engineering, generated by the demon," said WARDEN, "I would advise caution."

…

Meanwhile, Draco, Contrinus and Jade were trying to find their way through the darkened corridors. The ship intercom on their deck was offline and everyone appeared to have vanished, though this wasn't surprising after Chip accidentally caused what was known as the 'blender incident'.

"Does this ship often has blackouts?" asked Jade.

"Fortunately not," said Contrinus.

"However, when it does, it usually means a villain's onboard and doing it," said Draco.

A group of spiderbots shot by at a T-junction in front of them. They seemed to be looking for something. "Uh, should we be avoiding these guys?" asked Jade.

"Oh...I doubt they're after us," said Draco, not sounding completely convinced...especially when a spiderbot stopped to look at them. "Contrinus, don't you think you can provide a little light?" asked Draco. Contrinus nodded and her feathers started to glow a soft gold, illuminating the area around them.

What it did reveal, just for a second was some red glowing eyes in the shadows. "Erm...NegaMorph...is that you?" said Contrinus, worriedly.

There was a long pause before a stabbing limb literally emerged from the shadows and tried to spear them. What it didn't count of was a cluster of more friendly red eyes, whose owners, the spiderbots jumped on the arm and began trying to cut it off.

Jade however knew who the arm belonged to. "Shadowkhan," she said, jumping back as another Shadowkhan walked out of the shadows, before shielding its face as a cluster of spiderbots scuttled round the corner, shooting.

"Yep, like I said, villain at work here," said Draco, "Another demon must have been summoned."

"And seeing where we are, I bet I know which one it is," said Jade.

The Shadowkhan, while unable to feel fear, were finding out that spiderbots generally didn't know fear either...or when to give up...or what 'overkill' meant.

"The Moon Demon? I wondered what we were shooting at earlier. Why would he want the Bladestorm?" said Draco, stepping aside to let some spiderbots get past to join in.

Jade shrugged and said, "It's your ship, you tell me."

The sound of gunfire came from the distance, following by an explosion. Draco and Contrinus looked at each other and said levelly, "Matt."

"Alright, time for some action," said Jade as she head towards where the gunfire was going on.

Just then, a Shadowkhan appeared, one with four legs and two arm that end in sharp points, making it resemble a mantis. "Ok, what's that?" asked Draco.

"A Shadowkhan," said Jade, "I don't know much about this kind. We only saw them when all the Oni generals got free."

A plasma ball hit the Shadowkhan in the back, causing it to vanish and Matt came into view, looking a little worse for wear.

"Uh, I'm guessing you've been busy lately," said Jade.

"They're all over the place. We can't get close to engineering," said Matt.

Jade looked up and spotted a vent. "No problem," said Jade, "Draco, give me a boost."

"No way," said Matt, "I'm not letting you crawl around in the vents."

"Ok, if you want Count Moony to take over the ship," said Jade.

"Better than explaining to your uncle why you are in need of 'some assembly'," said Matt

"Right, we can make it through there," said Contrinus, "You don't have to go."

Matt nodded. "Go for it," he said, pulling a vent cover off.

Jade just groaned in disappointment. But as soon as Matt had the grate off, Jade jumped onto his shoulders and into the vent. "Sorry, I'll take my scolding later, thank you!" called Jade as she crawled through the ventilation system.

Matt just stood there in shock. "What the smeg was that?" he said after a second.

"More proof she has a lot of potential to be a secret agent and/or mercenary?" offered Contrinus.

Matt glared. "If I get my hands on her, she won't live that long," he said as the stress of the last few hours finally got to him.

"But you always praised her for her cunning, even though Jackie-" started Draco when Matt lost his temper.

"JUST GET IN THERE!" he shouted. Draco and Contrinus yelped as Matt grabbed then and pushed them both into the vent.

"Ow! Draco, you need to slim down," said Contrinus.

"Well, you're not exactly lean meat yourself," said Draco.

"LESS TALKY MORE CRAWLY!" yelled Matt into the vent.

…

Even with Tso Lan's incredible power over gravity, he had a little difficulty with adjusting to the advanced technology that was used to create the ship's artificial gravity. But now he was mere moments from seizing control.

Chip however had been having trouble with WARDEN. The AI kept throwing up programs to distract him as well as shutting off access from programs like the spiderbots control protocols or life support and most importantly, the self destruct system.

"Master, WARDEN is keeping from gaining full control of the ship," said Chip.

"It does not matter," said Tso Lan, "Even he won't be able to control a shipwreck."

"They will be able to destroy the ship before we can crash it...or give a signal to the NSC," said Chip.

Techo, still pinned but awake now smirked, "Yeah. Just you wait till Lynch gets in here. It's a big enough space that he can eat you."

"Empty threats are worth less than the air that carries them," said Tso Lan.

"Yeah...I never said the captain was human," said Techo, smugly.

"I have heard such tales from my banished siblings," said Tso Lan, "However, in a few moments, I shall be the one that shall have the, how do you mortals say, home field advantage."

"Matt'll rather blow you and this ship up then let you play with it," said Techo, adding, "Ask Chip, he's done it before."

"Matt will never get the opportunity. Before I send this ship crashing to the Earth below, I shall expel every gulp of air from inside it," said Tso Lan.

"That may be difficult. I was unable to disable the ship's A.I...it will simply run the sequence itself," said Chip, pointing to the computer screen for emphasis.

"This AI won't be able to control this ship, if it has no power to run it," said Tso Lan, "That shall be our next target."

"That's even worse, if the reactor loses power, it'll explode anyway. A booby trap the dear captain insisted on," said Chip.

"In which case, the ship and its crew will no longer be an obstacle in my plans," said Tso Lan.

"...and the NSC will probably send teams to recover the A.I...and then send DARKRIFT," said Chip.

"Enough of this," said Tso Lan, "I have more pressing matters to attend to."

Techo smirked. "Make sure you don't press the wrong button, an exploding temporal reactor really stings," he taunted.

Just then, there was heavy thuds on the other side of the door. They all turned in time to see Matt batter the door off its hinges with several mercs behind him.

Matt pulled out a weird-looking gun and aimed it at Tso Lan. "Get off my SHIP!" he yelled.

Tso Lan glanced at the gun and said, "Gravity magic can be used for more than just making things weightless." He pointed his hand at the gun, which started glowing red.

Matt managed to drop it in time before glaring at Tso Lan. "I'm a bit annoyed now," he said, igniting a plasma ball in his hand.

However, that was all the time that Tso Lan needed. "Behold, my master of gravity," he said, holding out his arms. The gravity generator ground to a complete stop and all the gravity on the ship with it.

Matt glared as he lifted off the ground. "I am going to tear you apart," he said annoyed.

"Spare your breath, mortal," said Tso Lan, "You'll need every bit of it before long."

"Did Chip not warn you about the deadman's switch self destruct...and all the other booby traps I added?" said Matt, smugly.

"That is more your concern than mine," said Tso Lan, "I will be off this ship long before it explodes. Or if all else fails, I can make it implode completely."

"That'll be worse," said Matt smugly before saying something to Tso Lan in draconic.

Tso Lan glared at Matt and said, "I am quite familiar with all of Earth's languages, including that of the dragons. Perhaps a more thorough display of my powers is necessary." He cupped his hands in front of him and a small black spot appeared between them.

Matt looked at it. "Do that and I'll come back with a bigger ship, mandible face...Ow."

Chloe lowered her hand and yelled, "STOP ANTAGONIZING THE DEMON!"

"That shall be difficult, when your crushed beneath the weight of your own skin," said Tso Lan, pointing a finger at Matt and firing.

Matt yelped and managed to float out the way of most of the shots. "You know...in some cultures, mandibles are considered fetching," he said desperately.

"Flattery shall get you nowhere," said Tso Lan, "Apprentice, see if you can find the nest this AI is lurking in and rip it out by the roots."

WARDEN's voice came out the speakers. "I was designed and made 300 years before Chip was in his test tube...good luck."

"Outdated tech," dismissed Chip, "I shall enjoy proving him wrong." With that, Chip floated out the room.

…

"Guys, I'm getting a bit of a funny feeling," said Jade.

"Yeah, I think something big happened," said Draco. A spiderbot scuttled past in a vent junction. Draco however noticed something through a vent cover, "Erm...I think someone turned gravity off."

Morph and NegaMorph were floating by, and they were looking a lot less solid than usual. "Help! Get us out of here!" called NegaMorph, a little incoherently as part of his face detached.

Draco said, "Ooook...that was new."

"What's happening to them?" asked Jade.

"Well, they are completely made out of plasma," said Contrinus, "No bones, no muscles, not even real skin. Without gravity, they'd just float apart."

"Yeah, and if we aren't grounded within 20 minutes, we go to pieces, for good," cried NegaMorph.

The PA activated at that. "Alert...unauthorized course change activated. Course will result in unsafe re-entry. Please alter course," said a female voice.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Draco.

"I'm guessing Captain Gravity wants to bring us down to Earth, the hard way," said Jade.

"Erm...didn't Matt have WARDEN install..." began Contrinus before the PA continued, "Protocol 2-54 active. Self destruct begun. You now have 15 minutes to re-assert ship control."

"Note to self: drop Matt in a tank of electric eels for being too paranoid," said Draco.

Contrinus said, "Great...how will we beat one of those demons? Don't we need a spell?"

"Yeah, where is Uncle?" asked Jade.

"On Earth...you snuck aboard, remember?" said Draco.

"Oh, right," said Jade, "Well, last time, we got the spell to Tso Lan and Uncle did his incantation through the comlink. All we have to do is find where Uncle put that spell."

"What about the Shadowkhan? The spiderbots can only handle so many," said Contrinus

"Don't worry," said Jade, "We just have to add the mask removal ingredient for them and they'll be long gone."

"And what is this ingredient?" asked Draco.

"I...erm...can't remember," said Jade.

"Well, that's just dandy," said NegaMorph, "I know we're doomed anyways, but could you pull us up there before we dissipate?"

Draco sighed and winced as he put his paw out and it sunk into NegaMorph. "Eaugh...we never talk of this ever again," he said, pulling NegaMorph in.

"Help me! Help me!" cried Morph, who was starting to look more like spilt jell-o than anything else. Contrinus winced and reached out, pulling Morph in too.

"Now then, we need to find some way to communicate with Uncle so we can find his spell and what the removal ingredient for the Shadowkhan is," said Contrinus.

"I doubt it'll be easy." said Draco, pointing out to the floating items in the corridor.

"Not to mention all external communication got cut off," said NegaMorph, who was pretty weak by his near-dissolution.

"Then we can find Chip. He's smart with computers and junk. He can contact Uncle," said Jade.

Morph pointed out the vent, "What luck...there he is...and he's had a makeover."

The others look through to see Chip floating by. He was wearing a red and purple robe that had a few armored parts. There were extra sleeves for his arms. His mouth had deformed into beetle-like mandibles with a long tongue wiggling between them. His eye was a solid red beneath his long mane of luxuriant black hair.

The others just stared in shock as Morph called out, "I like the new look," before anyone could grab him.

Chip turned and pointed towards the vent, the grate glowing purple before flying off. "What have we in here?" he said as he floated in.

NegaMorph glared at his original counterpart. "You have no idea how much I hate you right now."

"You know, Chip, you don't really look too much different," said Draco. The others gave him an odd look. "Well, the robe thing's not that big a change, he kinda already had an oddly-shaped mouth, and his eye flashes red when he's mad. But the hair's different. Usually he only has hair when he Chixie, which is clearly not the case right now."

Contrinus slapped Draco, "He's going to KILL US!"

"Nonsense," said Draco, "We all know Chip would never kill his 'twin brother', right Chip?" Chip glared and picked Draco up with his gravity powers before slamming him around the corridor and throwing him back in the vent. "Of course...I've wrong before." rasped Draco

"Uh, why fight when you can run?" suggested Jade.

"Good idea," said NegaMorph. Contrinus nodded, grabbing Draco and heading down the vent.

"You cannot escape from me," said Chip, firing magical bolts after them. Morph yelped and shot down the vent at an impressive speed. Chip glared as they vanished from sight. "You are only prolonging your own doom," he said, pursuing them.

The group legged it through the vents, well, crawled till they got to a vent cover dead end. The room beyond seemed to still have gravity...most likely a launch bay. "Ok, important note, Chip's as unreasonable as the other demon apprentices were," said Jade.

"They were not all unreasonable," said Contrinus, "Megan was able to turn again Bai Tsa."

"But she had her true love for Gary going for her that time," said NegaMorph, "And Chip, being an asexual being, is incapable of that amount of intimacy with anyone, so no luck there."

Draco however was looking up. "I think I found a comm." he said. The others turned to see the North Star 2...the crew's auxiliary ship.

Morph jumped as he heard something behind them. "Chip's catching up on us," he said.

"We need to find some way to hold him off until we send Tso Lan packing," said Jade.

"Well, let's see," said Contrinus, "We know that demon apprentices usually have darker versions of their original personalities, so Chip would still have the same likes, dislikes, skills..."

Draco suddenly smirked. "I have a few good ideas."

"Does it involve blasting?" asked NegaMorph.

"Surprisingly, no," said Draco, "I just need a spacesuit and a tether or jetpack."

NegaMorph tore the door off an equipment locker and threw it over the vent they had come from. "There...the stuff you need for your plan and the time to get it ready," he said.

"Good, you guys get to work calling Uncle, I'll deal with Chip," said Draco, looking the locker.

NegaMorph went over to the airlock of the ship. "Access code please," chimed the ship computer and yelped as NegaMorph slammed the controls. "I'll accept that," the VI said in a worried voice.

The others had just gotten onto the North Star when a blast of gravitational magic blew the locker away. Chip floated through and looked around. "Now, where are they?" he said. Chip was surprised to see his brother in one of the spacesuits from the equipment locker, making gestures at him. "What are you doing?" he said, confused.

"That's for me to know and you to find out, slowpoke," said Draco as he ran for the manual entrance of the bay. Chip watched as Draco opened it up and got sucked out the door, which slammed behind him.

Chip sighed. "That won't save you, brother. In fact, it probably makes it worse," he said.

…

Outside, Draco was using the jetpack to shoot through the vacuum. "I sure hope he took the bait," he said. Chip hovered out of the bay after him. Draco spotting the pursuit. "That's right, come and get me," said Draco as he jetted further.

Chip glared and went after Draco, the two weaving through the maze of turrets and antennae on the Bladestorm's hull. Finally Chip saw Draco head into a dead end. "Got you," he said.

Draco seemed to look confused about where to go and then went straight out. However, Chip went out an angle and intercepted Draco. "Your game of chase is at an end," said Chip as he gripped Draco's oxygen intake with the intention of fatally disabling it, "Leading me out here was a foolish choice and one with which you'll pay for most dearly. Any last requests?"

Draco smirked inside the helmet. "Just that you look down."

Out of curiosity, Chip looked down and saw the whole globe spread out beneath him. The sight of the whole planet right beneath him and no seen means of support had a rather remarkable effect on Chip. He immediately lost all of his cool and started crying, "No, no, don't drop me, put me down, put me down, I don't want to fall, I can't fly, let me go, let me go!"

Draco smirked, "Heh, just gotta know the levers."

Chip had clearly forgotten who was in control and about his new powers as he started flailing about. "Save me, save me! I'll do anything you want, just don't let me fall! I don't want to fall!" he screamed.

Draco said, "I'll make a deal. I'll save you if you promise not to try and blast me and my friends into a greasy paste."

"Fine, okay, whatever you say, just get me out of here," cried Chip.

Draco grinned and pulled one of the suits safety cables and handing it to Chip. "Off we go then."

On the NS2, NegaMorph was trying to tune the comm in. "Dammit...what's the right channel? Whoever's there is going on about the Death Star again," he said

Just then, the group heard someone come in. They turned to see Draco carrying a shivering Chip. "Hey guys," said Draco as he put Chip in a corner, "Did I miss anything?"

"Oh, nothing much...but I doubt Chip'll be a problem," said NegaMorph, cockily.

"Nope, just gave him a firsthand view of what Earth looks like from orbit," said Draco, "He got quite frantic without any security."

Chip was gibbering a bit. The height," he said over and over.

Morph went over and poked him. "Is he gonna be like this forever?" he asked.

"He should be fine after a few hours," said Contrinus before giving Draco a disapproving look and said, "That was a very mean trick you played."

"I know," said Draco, "But it was the only way to get through to him until Tso Lan's gone."

Jade looked at the shellshocked Chip. "What freaked him out so bad?" she said.

"Well, one of our enemies tried to dispose of Chip by dropping him onto a carnivorous moon," said Draco, "No, I'm not going into detail right now, but the experience left a pretty deep scar in him, one that comes back to haunt when he's up too high."

Jade looked at Chip. "So he's basically scared of heights," she said.

"Being tossed down about 100 feet onto deadly soil will do that do you," said Contrinus, "It isn't so bad when he has some means of support, like being in a ship."

"What about when he snaps out of it?" said Jade.

NegaMorph suddenly said, "Finally...I got into the telephone network. Only audio...but we should be able to call Jade's Uncle now."

"Considering the fright I gave him, we've got about half an hour before he snaps out of it," said Draco before turning his attention to the communicator, "Put us through, the faster we have that spell, the sooner things are back to normal. Or the average level of normality anyways."

NegaMorph nodded and pressed a few buttons. Uncle's voice came over the speakers, "Uncle's Rare Finds. How may I help you?"

"Uncle, the Moon Demon's out and he's packing Shadowkhan power," said Jade, "What's the secret ingredient for getting rid of the Mantis-type?"

"Jade? Why are you not with Jackie?" said Uncle in a 'you are in so much trouble' tone of voice.

"Uh, spaceship gonna crash on Earth? Possibly in the California area?" said NegaMorph.

"What is demon blob doing there?" said Uncle.

Contrinus finally yelled, "WE NEED THE BANISHMENT SPELL INGREDIENTS OR THE WESTERN SEABOARD'S TOAST!"

Everyone winced at the sound of the shrill feedback. "Ai ya! Uncle is not deaf, or at least was. Moon Demon banishment is in enchanted box which Uncle gave to Matt, cannot be opened by evil. One more thing, key ingredient to Shadowkhan-banishing spell is Japanese leaf. One more thing, do not think Uncle will forget about Jade playing hookey."

"Which leaf?" said Contrinus and only got the dial tone as a response. Contrinus glared at the comm and said something in tantalog under her breath.

"Well that's just dandy," said NegaMorph, "He probably has different kinds of leaves in that box, how will we know which one is Japanese?"

"We'll just to find our own, but where?" said Draco.

Contrinus thought for a minute and then said, "My rock garden! Banzai are Japanese, right?"

Morph said, "Isn't it a TV show?" as NegaMorph facepalmed behind him.

"You have a rock garden on this ship?" asked Jade.

Contrinus shrugged and said, "Well, I like to do something more useful with my talents instead of healing up cuts and scorching villains."

"We'd better get that leaf soon." said NegaMorph, looking at an exterior feed, adding, "Cause Earth looks pretty close now."

"I hope the others are able to hold back that demon long enough," said Draco.

…

This was sadly wishful thinking given Matt's current position in engineering. Techo looked over at Matt. "So...nice plan," he said sarcastically.

"Oh, sure, like we've ever fought anyone that can control gravity," said Matt.

"We fought giant dragons, the race that wiped out the ancients, your darker side, and you can't handle a walking squid," said Techo.

"He's not walking, he's floating," said Matt, "And he looks more beetle than squid."

Tso Lan sighed from where he was working on stopping the grav-reactor from working and said, "I can hear you."

"Good, I like to know that I've driven my enemies nuts," said Matt.

Tso Lan sighed again. "There is nothing you can do to break my concentration," he said and raised his hand threateningly when Matt took a deep breath. "...and I was warned about your musical talents. I will increase your gravity by 300 times if you start."

"I'd like to see you try," said Matt before taking another deep breath.

Tso Lan clicked his fingers and Matt made a 'urk' noise and shot down the wall to be squashed on the floor as Tso Lan tripled Matt's personal gravity. "Point taken," Matt rasped.

"I suggest you stop now before you become even more uncomfortable," said Tso Lan.

"What could be less comfortable than this?" said Matt.

"I could concentrate the current field into your head and make it pop," said Tso Lan, proving that demons had never heard of a rhetorical question.

"Ok, I'll be quiet," said Matt as he tried to get up, but could barely get onto his hands and knees.

The PA sounded at that moment. "Caution. 7 Minutes to self-destruct."

Tso Lan paused and said, "Where is my apprentice? He should have disabled the traps by now."

Chloe said, "Can't get the help, eh?"

"You know, I could easily do the same thing to you that I've done to your brother," said Tso Lan, "However, since this ship will be destroyed soon, I had better seek a means of egress."

Chloe glared and said, "Oh please try. I've always wanted to see if gravity effects lightning," her eyes glowing.

Tso Lan, however, was trying to contact his apprentice. "Chip? Where are you? Have you taken care of the traps yet?"

Tso Lan was quite surprised when all he got in response was 'TOOHIGHTOOHIGHTOOHIGH!'

"What? What is the matter with you?" demanded Tso Lan.

"TOOOO HIIIIGH!" was the response.

Tso Lan rolled his eyes and delved into his apprentice's recent memories, uncovering Draco's trick from earlier. "A mere glimpse of the Earth reduced you to this?" said Tso Lan incredulously.

"IT'LL EAT ME!" was the response. This was perhaps the cause of a first in Tso Lan's life so far as it actually rendered his speechless. "I'm sorry?" he responded, confused.

"I DON'T WANNA FALL, I DON'T WANNA GET SWALLOWED UP!" was the response.

"The Earth will not eat you. My sister, the Mountain Demon might, but she is still in the Netherworld. Get over it and get on with your task," said Tso Lan.

"NOPENOPENOPENOPENOPE!" came Chip's response.

Tso Lan sighed. "Trouble with the staff?" said Matt, smirking. Tso Lan increased the gravity for Matt's mouth before delving into Chip's mind and pouring a little more power in...enough to at least temporarily quash the fear in his apprentices mind.

…

Meanwhile, the others had managed to find the box with the chi spell in it. "Ok, all we need is that banzai leaf and we're in business," said Jade.

"Ion grav-plating online... Emergency gravity restored to decks 4 through 9," said WARDEN's voice. His hologram was following them down the corridor. "This demon is annoying me. I have no wish to have my body blown up because of the captains kr'ta-fueled paranoia," he said to Draco.

"Don't worry, once we've got this arcane cocktail cooked up, we can send Beetleface back to Nether-Nether Land," said Draco.

"I would advise leaving Mr. Chip in the brig. He is a liability until his current...master is disposed of," said WARDEN in a cold voice, turning to look at Chip.

"I think he's too petrified to do anything," said Draco.

"He is a liability. If he snaps out of his fear, he could easily incapacitate you all. All the spiderbot drones are either hunting for Ghoulwyrm or defending pockets of crew from the Shadowkhan that are aboard," said WARDEN.

"I don't think that'll be happening anytime soon," said NegaMorph.

WARDEN sighed. "You were warned about tempting fate on this vessel...right?" he said, pointing behind Draco at Chip.

Chip's eye suddenly started blazing red. His shellshock vanished in an instant as he turned towards the others and said in a more emotionless voice, "I cannot allow you to interfere any further."

Draco turned to glare at WARDEN who was looking smug. "I hate you," he said.

NegaMorph, however, had other ideas. He handed the box with the chi spell in it to Jade and said, "Jade, take this and hide. We don't want Tso Lan getting his hands on this. It could be catastrophic if he does."

Jade took the box and looked as Chip squashed Draco against the roof with a gravity burst. "What about him?" she said.

WARDEN however said, "Mr. NegaMorph has probably been waiting for this excuse for a loooong time, Miss Chan. Mr. NegaMorph, try to leave dents that can be beaten back out."

NegaMorph flexed his knuckles and said, "Don't worry, he won't get hurt...much." Chip turned and sent a gravity pulse at NegaMorph that squashed him against the far wall like a splat. "There are...disadvantages...to having no bones," said NegaMorph.

Chip hovered to NegaMorph, pausing briefly to gravity push Contrinus aside. "You're a fool to challenge me," said Chip, "With my new powers, I can turn you inside out."

Contrinus got up unsteadily. "We're your ohana, not that creep who did this to you," she said.

"Right, family, is that the term you like to use to excuse you're using me like your multipurpose repair tool?" said Chip in a colder tone.

"That demon's twisting your memories. Can't you see that?" said Contrinus, not reacting to the spiderbots silently moving into position behind Chip.

"Not twisting, clarifying," said Chip, "Who's the one who always has to figure out how to solve a problem? Who's the one who has to go and fix something that someone else has broken? Who always has to pick up after everyone?"

"Who's the one who saved our bacon more times than I can count when the empire was after us?" retorted Contrinus, "Who was almost mad with grief when we thought you were lost on that moon?"

Chip paused at that. "Uh...well..." he started, the red glow in his eye slowly dimming. But then it intensified and he said, "I will not be distracted by mundane thoughts. The time has come to end this."

It was at this point that there was a buzzing noise behind Chip and two tazer darts shot into his back, exactly where his primary and secondary power units were. A second later, Chip got a charge of electricity that was way over his intended capacity. The half-demon experiment cried out and twitched before falling over. The two spiderbots that had fired it crawled on top of him, one placing a stasis chip into Chip's back in case he woke up again.

Draco noticed the spiderbots' act. "What are they doing?" he demanded.

"Making safety precautions," said WARDEN, "Chip will not likely be able to control himself until the Moon Demon is re-imprisoned. So the stasis chip will make sure he will be unable to move until then."

Draco however looked horrified and angry at the spiderbots who just raised their front arms tarantula style and hissed. WARDEN continued, "He would have killed you all if I had not given the order."

Draco sighed. WARDEN was right, but he still didn't like it. "Fine, but you all owe him an apology when he's back to normal," said Draco.

"Indeed...sensors indicate Shadowkhan activity closing on this location. Recommend rendezvous with Miss Chan as soon as possible," said WARDEN.

Draco nodded and headed off towards Contrinus' rock garden. "I better meet up with her before finding Jade," he said, "We need that leaf."

…

In engineering however, Tso Lan was encountering another problem. Chip had wired up ship exterior views before he had left and the current view now showed an NSC patrol skiff heading in for a closer look. A flashing message showed they were trying to open communications.

"More distractions," said Tso Lan in an annoyed voice, "Why can't anyone let me do my work?"

Techo said annoyingly, "They'll blow this ship away if you don't answer."

"Then send a reply that the situation is normal and don't try to tell them otherwise," said Tso Lan threateningly.

"Up yours, mandible face." said Techo, sticking his tongue out for good measure.

Tso Lan glared and said, "One more show of disrespect and I shall make your skulls implode."

"Then who'll call the skiff off? Oh, I think they're angry," said Techo, pointing to the view that showed a warning message warning of a lock on.

"I am losing the last of my patience," said Tso Lan, "Perhaps seeing that ship decompress will change your attitudes."

"Not much chance, it'll have reality fields online. Your magic doesn't exist in that field," said Matt, still pinned to the floor.

Tso Lan was probably going to do something messy to Matt when Jade suddenly floated through the door. She took one look at Tso Lan and said, "Uh, sorry, wrong room."

Tso Lan was quite surprised by this, causing him to lose some of the gravity control over the others. This gave Matt time to jump on the demon's back and yell, "Leg it!" while Chloe went for the comm.

"Skiff 294...we have been boarded by hostile forces..." she began to call into the comm. Jade took the cue and fled as fast as she could, given the lack of gravity.

Tso Lan glared and used a gravity pulse to send Matt flying before he advanced on Chloe. "You know, my brother Chang Tzu made a rather hasty mistake with choosing you as his apprentice," said Tso Lan, "But I know better than to trust you." He then swung his arm and knocked Chloe upside the head, knocking her out.

The damage however appeared to be done. The Skiff's front end glowed and a yellow orb shot form it till it filled the screen, cutting the feed and making the ship shake. "It looks like my plans for this ship has come to naught," said Tso Lan.

"Warning...Action Five system disabled...countdown halted," said the computer.

"Then again, this may work to my advantage after all," said Tso Lan, "But Chan's niece may prove a problem." With a wave of his hand, he summoned three of the Mantis Shadowkhan. "Find the child and bring her here," he commanded.

Matt said, "Bet you a cred they don't get three feet, Techo."

Techo looked to see a few dozen familiar red optics staring from the corridor outside. "You're on," he said. The three Shadowkhan nodded and melted into the shadows. The optics had also vanished. Techo smirked, "You owe me a credit."

The Shadowkhan didn't take long to spot Jade. However the local golems were giving trouble for them. The spiderlike creatures had found that the Shadowkhan were infinite in number and left no mess to clean up afterwards. And since WARDEN had permitted free range with them, they were having a hell of fun.

The trio sent after Jade were therefore proving that Shadowkhan DID have a ounce of self-preservation...or at least had the common sense to avoid the spiderbots when possible.

Jade, however, was trying to find Contrinus and her rock garden. "C'mon, can't send Moony back to Demonland without that leaf," she said to herself.

A Shadowkhan that was fighting several of the crew turned to attack her only for 6 spiderbots to lunge at it, knocking it down with sheer force. Luckily, this area had received emergency gravity. Finally a half-open bulkhead door with a sign saying, 'Caution: experiment quarters,' came into view.

Jade ran in there, only to quickly hide beside a door. The Shadowkhan were being blasted by all different kinds of weird creatures with different powers. "Whoa, aliens really do come in all shapes and sizes," said Jade.

Several spiderbots scuttled past her hiding place, one looking at the fight and muttering something that sounded like 'amateurs' before they charged in too. Jade peered out and spotted a sign saying, 'Contrinus's garden. Mess it up at your own peril.' A smaller sign underneath said, 'PS: This means you, Morph.'

Jade opened the door and stepped inside. The interior had been carefully decorated to look like a Japanese rock garden, complete with a small pool of water. Draco was waiting rather impatiently for Contrinus to pick a leaf from one of her banzai trees.

Draco said, "Contrinus, dear. We can't hang around forever. Just choose a leaf."

Contrinus said, "It took me ages to get this right. I'm not messing up the Feng Shua."

Jade rolled her eyes and said, "Oh for crying out loud." She reached over and plucked a leaf off the nearest banzai and said, "Got it, let's go."

Contrinus squeaked in horror at that and glared as Draco said, "Nice one, Jade. Let's go..." he stopped and said to Contrinus "...and I'm sure that leaf'll grow back."

"Now I'm going to have to trim that tree all over," said Contrinus, "And that'll probably mean I'll have to do all the trees and the rocks and-"

"Can we just go banish Tso Lan already?" interrupted Jade.

A Shadowkhan fell backwards into the garden at that, several spiderbots and Hyena on it. Contrinus watched in horror as they started making a mess in her carefully arranged rock garden. "Stop! You're ruining the atmosphere!" she cried. Draco and Jade looked at each other before grabbing Contrinus, lifting her off her talons and heading out the room. "Wait! My garden! It needs tending! They'll ruin everything!" cried Contrinus.

"You can tend it when we're not in danger of a very final landing," said Draco.

Jade added, "...and that'll really mess up your garden."

With a very conscious and noticeable effort, Contrinus said, "Yes...we have to save the ship..."

This was when the trio of Shadowkhan decided to spring their trap. All the spiderbots in this area were busy helping...or at least competing against, the experiments. One of them seized Jade with its arms, which was a bit tricky since like normal mantises, their arms weren't really made for grabbing. The other tried to grab the box out her hand while another pushed Contrinus out the way to smack Draco across the corridor.

However, this was a big mistake. Contrinus, who was plenty stressed about the wrecking of her rock garden, gave an eagle-like cry before her feathers ignited with solar flames. The Shadowkhan turned in surprise at that before one of them was vaporized by a blast of flame so hot it was blue. Contrinus screeched before diving at the others like a comet. The Shadowkhan dropped Jade just before Contrinus literally went through it.

"I didn't know she could do that," said Jade.

"Yeah, she's like Ghoulwyrm. She only gets fiery when she gets really mad," said Draco.

The last Shadowkhan was picked up by Contrinus and thrown back into the experiment area where a dozen spiderbots jumped on it before it could get back up.

"Uh, how about we get this spell down to engineering, that's probably where Tso Lan is," said Draco.

Contrinus glared, "I'll get that mandible-faced creep...send shadow minions to mess up MY garden, WILL HE?"

"Uh, sure, go get him, dear," said Draco. Contrinus gave out her shriek again and flew down the hall in the direction of engineering. "This cannot end well," said Draco weakly.

"Well, we better get down there so there's something left to banish back," said Jade. The group found it easy to follow Contrinus given that she had not bothered with trivial things like opening doors. "So, how long does she stay in firebird mode?" asked Jade.

"Usually until she cools off, emotionally that is," said Draco. Draco added "...though this might take a while."

…

Tso Lan watched with an air of smirkness as the planet outside was getting closer and closer. "At long last, victory shall be mine," said Tso Lan.

Suddenly, the bolted door started to glow red, then yellow, then it melted away to reveal a fiery bird creature. "Hey moon boy!" shouted Contrinus, "Here comes the sun!"

"What is-" started Tso Lan before Contrinus started clawing at him with her yellow-hot claws. "Gyah...you little insect," he said, using a gravity burst to send Contrinus flying back.

Draco and Jade floated in after that. "Did we miss anything?" asked Draco.

Tso Lan said, "Ah...you are just in time," before making the two stop dead. Tso Lan eyed the box that Jade was holding and demanded, "What is that you have, child?"

"Oh, um, just the security codes that overrides all the failsafes on this ship, even WARDEN," said Jade.

"Really? Those will be of great use to me," said Tso Lan. He floated over and grabbed the box with one hand. The box zapped him with green energy that sent him flying into a wall.

This also caused the gravity generator to start running again. "Warning...2 minutes to point of no return," said the computer.

"Then it's time to return this guy," said Jade as she opened the box, allowing a glowing lotus pod to float while Draco quickly chanted.

Tso Lan managed to get his sense back in time to see the lotus pod start glowing. "NO!" he yelled before the green beam hit him.

As Tso Lan was hit, gravity returned to normal in the room. "In the interest of less holes in my ship, the exit is this way," said Matt as he got up and threw Tso Lan into the airlock. "Have a nice day." Matt said, closing the hatch and hitting the outer door button.

As Tso Lan was sucked outside, the spell took full affect and dragged him screaming up out of orbit. His portal opened up, sending the Moon Demon back to the Netherworld.

Matt waved through the porthole at him before the PA said, "Point of no return in 60 seconds." Luckily Techo was already reprogramming navigation to pull the ship from its path.

In about a few seconds to spare, the ship came to a screeching stop. However, since gravity wasn't completely restored yet, that threw everyone against the wall. "WARDEN!" yelled Matt from where he had landed.

WARDEN smirked. "Oops," he said.

Matt was up first, "Ok...where the hell is Chip?"

"At the bridge, recovering from his necessary detainment," said WARDEN, "However, I am happy to report that that Tso Lan's influence has left him."

Matt nodded. "Keep the bots on him. I won't be convinced till he gets a clean bill of health from Uncle," he said.

Contrinus managed to cool down and was back to her normal form. "Are all the bad guys gone?" she asked.

"Yup...all gone," said Matt cheerfully.

…

Ghoulwyrm however was not having a good day. The spiderbots and several experiments had just managed to corner him. "Look...no need to tear things off..."

"Dump him!" squealed one spiderbot.

Ghoulwyrm said desperately, "No, don't dump him," before several spiderbots grabbed him. Normally, the great dracolich would have been able to throw off his captors, but his fight had been really tiring. "Let me go, you little furballs!" he yelled before Stitch pulled his head off and threw it down the garbage chute to cheers from the other experiments. The rest of Ghoulwyrm soon followed, though not necessarily completely assembled.

Ghoulwyrm slowly floated through the void towards Earth. "I hate those little trogs," he muttered to himself.

…

Of course, the invasion left a big mess that had to be cleaned up afterwards. Matt was supervising the clean-up of the cargo hold when Draco came in, carrying a conscious, but worn-out, Chip.

"Chip," said Matt, not looking up from the datapad in his hand.

"Hey Matt," said Chip weakly, "Things going well now?"

"Yes...nice to see you're yourself again," said Matt, still not looking up.

"Ok, I admit that I went overboard as Tso Lan's apprentice and not all of it was his doing," said Chip, "I've just been feeling put-upon and got tired of being used as the all-purpose problem-solver. I guess my feelings on unappreciation got the better of me."

Matt said, "We all appreciate what you do for the crew. Nobody takes you for granted."

"Yes, but Tso Lan enhanced those feelings," said Chip, "I promise I won't let it get out of control again."

Matt looked at Chip finally. "Hey...where's your new armor?" he said,

The question was answered when Jade came in wearing it. "Check it out," she said, "This thing changes to fit. Cool, huh?"

Matt stared at it, "Ok...take it off please..."

"Don't worry, Matt, I got it figured out, watch," said Jade. She held out her hand towards a crate, causing it to levitate into the air.

Morph walked over to the crate and looked at it. "Hey Jade, how'd you do that?" he asked. Unfortunately, this caused Jade to lose her concentration and the crate dropped on Morph's foot. Morph yelped in pain and tried to pull free until Draco used his psychic horns to lift the crate back up. When Morph pulled his foot out, it was cartoonishly flat and wide, like a pancake.

"Uh, sorry Morph," said Jade. Morph just whimpered in pain as he waddled away.

Matt sighed, "Can someone please put that armor either in storage or in space? I've had it up to here with magic for the day."

* * *

Here's the next chapter of Null Chi, featuring one of the more favored demons, Tso Lan the Moon Demon. Interestingly, when the trigrams were originally used, there was no real mention of the moon among them. Tso Lan's trigram is actually the one for Water while Bai Tsa's was the one for Lake, which is not too surprising seeing how Tso Lan's is opposite of that of Shendu. Of course, there's no believable differentiation between 'Lake' and 'Water', so introducing 'Moon' was probably the best choice. The Mantis Khan were briefly seen during the Season 4 finale, the ones who's general's mask was never worn. Chip's traumatic experience happened in an earlier story, Galvanized Wills. And of course, any Mel Brooks fan can identify Morph's little accident from the ever-popular film, Space Balls.

Finally, I have an announcement to make. Since _some_ people are _so_ impatient for my chapter updates, I'm not changing Null Chi's update schedule so that it now updates Wednesdays and Fridays. I hope you can tolerate that speed. So the next chapter will be up Friday and it's one of the most exciting and most important chapters in this story so you do _not_ want to miss it. Please review.


	7. Fires of the Past

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 7: Fires of the Past**

Matt moaned. It was barely a day since they had re-banished Tso Lan and saved Chip from being his personal lackey. Right now, all he wanted to do was sleep without any thoughts of demons. He was about to drift off when his comm went off. "Grrrr...must...kill...caller…" he moaned and turned it on to reveal Colonel McNeil's face. "Sir...is this urgent? I haven't slept for 48 hours," he said.

"There's a company called Archeolo-Tech wanting your help," said McNeil, "They say that want a local expert in this particular matter."

"What? I only know one archeologist...and he's having a hard time believing we're aliens anyway. Where is this job?" said Matt.

"Down at Antarctica," said McNeil.

"What? The South Pole? Are you serious?"

"I'm always serious. He can bring any staff he wants, but he'll be under the standard secrecy contract," said McNeil.

Matt yawned. "Fine...call me in a month after I've slept," he said. McNeil sighed and hacked the siren on Matt's wrist comp. Matt jumped up with a yelp as the siren went off. "That was uncalled for," he said.

"Got you up, didn't it? You know the mega-corps; time is money, hop to it," said McNeil and cut off.

"The Chans will never agree," began Matt.

…

"But, it's a NSC facility, guard, guns, things with teeth if we're unlucky, and I bet you a credit Jade'll tag along," said Matt.

"Probably," said Jackie, "But it'll be just an archeological dig. I doubt she'll have the patience to stay."

"Did I not mention the guns?" said Matt, desperately.

Chloe sighed. "Look. The NSC are good. They can make sure she doesn't blow something up."

Jade looked pleased, "I actually get to see what one of your places looks like?" she asked.

"Well...I guess so," said Matt, "But you cannot touch anything that looks more advanced than a thermostat, and not even a thermostat."

"He ruined a lot of wallpaper that way," said Chloe.

"How did I know it could be set for Pyronites?" Matt said, sulkily.

Techo said, "Dropship'll leave tomorrow morning. Bring flashlights, it's dark all the time in Antarctica at the moment."

"Wait, isn't Antarctica a giant ice mass?" asked Draco.

"Actually, it's a continent with an ice mass on top of it," said Jackie.

Draco stared for a second and said, "Pass. Not going."

"Yeah...Archeolo-Tech found an old Ancient colony there. They found some local artifacts and need translations...and magic checks," said Techo.

"Is that 'ancient' with a capital or lowercase 'A'?" asked Chip.

"Capital, definite, the automated defense system was a clue," said Chloe.

"Um, what do you meant by 'Ancient'?" asked Jackie.

"Well, in our world they were the Atlanteans, made tech you can't imagine. They...made a big mistake and it cost them. Almost all of the NSC's warp tech is reverse engineered," said Techo.

"These Atlanteans have anything to do with Bai Tsa?" asked Uncle.

"No...these Atlanteans preferred spacecraft over magic," said Matt.

…

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm and Drago were already in Antarctica. "Ah, soon we'll be able to use the ancient technology of Atlanteans for our very own," said Ghoulwyrm, "We shall coat this planet in a layer of eternal darkness. The Chans will never be able to stop us!"

"I just want one of my relatives to stay out longer than a few hours," said Drago, shivering.

Ghoulwyrm came to a stop on the edge of a cliff. "BEHOLD THE CITY OF THE...oh bugger," he said, looking down to see the surface buildings for an NSC base.

"Wasn't this place supposed to be a ruin?" asked Drago.

"Apparently some squatters beat us here," said Ghoulwyrm, "But nothing that we can't handle."

Drago, in some aspects had better eyesight then his undead partner and so spotted the smoke trail for a security rocket headed for Ghoulwyrm. Sadly, Ghoulwyrm found out when it hit him.

"Nothing we can handle, eh?" said Drago.

Ghoulwyrm had a dazed look in his eyes. "Twinkle, twinkle, little bat, how I wonder where you're at," muttered Ghoulwyrm before falling forward.

…

The two missed the dropship flying overhead. Aboard, Matt was finding out why taking Uncle on the dropship had been a bad idea. "Look...we're here..." he said, irritated.

"It's about time!" snapped Uncle, "Uncle could not work on chi spells with all the noise."

"Why would you even need chi spells?" said Chloe, "There aren't any demon portals here."

"Uncle needs to see if there is magic here. You think you could find it with dowsing rod?"

"No, Draco can smell dark magic a mile away though, if he wasn't staying back at San Fran right now. Think of this as a holiday. When was your last holiday?" said Matt, adding the last part curiously

"Hmm, the moon is in 5th cycle, it is between spring and summer, so... Never, why start now?"

"But Uncle, what about when we were on the cruise ship?" asked Jade.

"Thieves nearly sank ship and Tohru's mother was there. Vacation not vacation without relaxing," said Uncle.

"Well, now you can. Nothing w...No...I won't say it. NOBODY SAY IT!" said Matt, slightly hysterically.

"Don't ask," said Chip, before anyone could comment, "Well one thing that can't go wrong, Morph's not here."

Just then, an overhead compartment was jostled opened by slight turbulence and Morph tumbled out onto Jackie's lap. "Hi Jackie," he said.

"We're dead. Now the infected'll probably be waiting...or a 30 foot tall Chang Tzu or something," said Matt gloomily and wandered off to mope.

"Gee, he's nearly as crabby as Uncle," said Jade.

"Now that is impossible," said Chloe.

Techo said, "He hasn't slept for 2 days," in a bored voice.

…

The base turned out to be mostly underground, the surface buildings just there to fool satellites passing overhead and explorers. Another splitter, this one brown instead of Xander's green, was there to greet them. "Professor Chan. A pleasure to meet you. I am Professor Nai-Kan, head of research for the facility," he said.

"Uh, Jackie Chan, I don't really call myself 'Professor' but-"

"Jackie! Finish speaking with lizard man before Uncle freezes!" snapped Uncle.

"I'm sorry. Please come with me. The lift down to the main living quarters is this way," said Nai-Kan, politely.

"You better have tea. Uncle gets very cranky without his tea," snapped Uncle.

"How's that any different from normal?" asked Morph, only to get smacked by Uncle.

"We have tea from 32 worlds," said Nai-Kan politely, leading the way to a rundown hanger. In the back was an out-of-place modern cargo elevator...and several mounted guns moving by themselves. "Don't worry, just security," said Nai-Kan, getting onto the elevator and typing a complicated code into a keypad.

"So where are these ruins?" asked Jackie, "I would like to start as soon as possible."

"No need to rush," said Nai-Kan, "You've had a long flight. You should take some time to rest."

The lift slowly lowered down a shaft, eventually stopping in a more modern door, opening into a well lit corridor. Several troopers in full armor and holding more modern-looking versions of the gang's pulse rifles looked over before looking away again. "I'm afraid we must be careful with security. The ruins have not been fully swept yet and rarely Raider bands take an interest," said Nai-Kan.

"Raiders? You mean graverobbers?" asked Jackie.

"No, pirates, the Ancients specialized in genetic technology. Illegal but valuable," said Nai-Kan before saying in a hurry, "Don't worry. We have a 100% security rate and an NSC garrison is 20 minutes away."

"Well, that's good," said Jackie, "This technology should not fall into the wrong hands. It should probably be in a museum."

"Most of it is too dangerous for that, though we have discovered alot of other artifacts that we are happy to donate. The main problem is one artifact," said Nai-kan.

"Let me guess, some sort of device they invented to create a tear in the time-space continuum?" asked Matt.

"No, we believe to be local of origin, whatever it is," said Nai-Kan, "We found partial records. A local race under attack gave it to the colony to hide and evacuate off planet. However, something must have happened as there were no further records afterwards apart from an unsent S.O.S." He pulled out a datapad and passing it over. It showed a wooden box decorated with dragons.

Uncle studied the markings on the box, which apparently glowed by their own power. "Jackie, this box contains powerful chi magic," said Uncle.

"Yes, we know. We found out when a disintegrator cutter failed to even singe it," said Nai-Kan, "We even got a Dracon in to try a lock-pick spell. Nothing. It's definitely hollow but no join, no keyhole, not even a hinge."

"Magic must open magic," said Uncle, "I shall look over this box."

"It is this way in high security storage," said Nai-Kan, leading the way to a large vault door. It opened to reveal a passable replica of Section 13's vault. The box sat on a plinth in it. Two scientists were already there looking at it.

As Uncle was walking in, he suddenly paused. "Sensei, what is wrong?" said Tohru, "Do you have the willies?"

"No, this box is not dark chi, but very powerful chi. Almost divine," said Uncle in a tone of awe. The tone quickly dropped as he said, "So get cracking! Tohru, unpack chi spell ingredients. We have much work to do."

"We did find something interesting, a hand print, could be some magical form of a DNA lock," said one of the scientists, pointing to a child-sized handprint in the top of the box.

Uncle studied it closely and said, "It will take time to translate text on box. Tohru, start unpacking books."

"We have been told by the board of directors to make any resources available, sir," said the other scientist.

"Good, Uncle will need much research," said Uncle. He paused for a moment before shouting, "Where is tea?"

…

Meanwhile, Matt was looking out an observation window into a huge cavern, containing the ruins themselves. Several of the buildings reminded Matt too much of the flashback of the Shar-Khan satellite, but mostly the large holes in what Matt knew to be indestructible armor. "What were you storing?" he muttered.

"Not any video games, I can tell you that."

Matt let out a startled cry as he jumped and turned around. He saw Jade leaning against one wall. "Don't do that!" snapped Matt.

"So...that's one of your ancient places?" Jade said, peering down.

"Yup, you can find them on any planet if you look hard enough," said Matt.

"So did these guys really end up under the sea like Bai Tsa's place?" asked Jade.

"Not really. They made some...special soldiers but they forgot the rule about power corrupting. Their own troopers turned on them, bombed Atlantis to atoms," said Matt, gloomily

"Well, it's not like those guys will be back," said Jade, "Atlantis is ancient history. Those guys must be mummies by now."

"Not all of them...not all of them…" said Matt sadly.

"Right, how'd these guys get to be so hi-tech?" asked Jade, "Uncle Jackie says that most people back then were using stone spears."

"Luck, I suppose," said Matt, pulling out his ion staff. "This is their tech. I...got it by luck," said Matt.

Jade looked at it and said, "Doesn't look that special to me."

Matt turned it on and dropped it point first into the floor...which it entered up to the hilt with no effort.

"Whoa, now that's sharp," said Jade, "Is there anything it can't cut into?"

"Other blades, some magic armors, everything else might as well be water," said Matt, picking it up and deactivating it, "It's saved my bacon more than once."

"Cool, can I have one?" asked Jade.

"First off, they're really hard to find," said Matt, "And second off, no, you can't. This is too dangerous to be a toy. Anyhow...wanna go see what this box is like?" said Matt cheerfully.

As they were going back into the lab, Techo said, "Hey Matt, check this out. Outside surveillance caught something interesting on tape."

"What? Is it Ghoulwyrm and Drago?" asked Matt.

"Nope, take a look." Matt looked to see Morph wearing a tuxedo and leading a line of penguins.

"That's...unusual," said Jade.

"Welcome to our world," said Chloe cheerfully.

"You think we should do something?" asked Chris.

"Oh, let him have his fun," said Chip, "What's gonna happen? The penguins rise up against him?"

Techo pointed. "Like that, you mean?"

Said penguins seemed to have twigged that Morph was not one of him and were carrying him towards an ice hole. "Oh boy..." said Matt as they tossed Morph in.

Techo sighed, "I'll get the net."

…

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm and Drago managed to sneak into the ruins. "Be careful," said Ghoulwyrm, "The Ancients were infamous for their booby traps."

"Oh, sure, I'm real intimidated," said Drago, "What do they got? Flying darts? Pitfalls? A big rolling boulder?"

"No, but they do have laser grids that can dice people up and robots the size of Buicks," said Ghoulwyrm, looking cautiously round a corner.

"You're pulling my leg," said Drago.

"Nope, a laser grid got me once. There are times when being already dead is a perk," said Ghoulwyrm before going round the corner...and being flattened as the walls slammed together a few times. "See?" he rasped.

"Ok, you've made your point," said Drago, "And way we can disable the security?"

"Nope, seeing as whoever had the code has been dead a few dozen centuries," said Ghoulwyrm, healing from his splatting. He looked to see a sign in Atlantean. It said simply 'Go away.' "The Atlanteans certainly have a sense of humor," muttered Ghoulwyrm. Then another wall squashed him, leaving an imprint of Atlanteans words on his body reading, 'Laugh this off, intruder boy'.

Drago read this. "Wow," he said simply as Ghoulwyrm crawled from under the rock, groaning.

"Uurrrgh...new plan...we phase in via the wall instead."

"I was wondering when you were going to say that," said Drago, "You wanna go now are do you need to put some bones back in place?"

"I'm...fine...that mercs dropped heavier on me before..." said Ghoulwyrm weakly.

…

Inside the base, Matt and Jade went to the lab to see how Uncle was doing. To their surprise, he and Tohru weren't there. "Hmm, must be on tea break," said Jade.

Matt wandered over to the box. "Doesn't look like much," he said, tapping it before fitting his hand in the hole...and being zapped. "Ok...ow," he said, smoking gently.

"Hmm, guess that box is extra picky," said Jade.

"Suppose, anyway, the print's too small," said Matt.

Jade looked at the handprint and said, "I wonder..." She put her own hand on the box and they were both surprised when it fitted perfectly. The print glowed for a second and the box began to make clicking noises as the pictures on the sides moved around like a puzzle, slowly forming hinges and a clasp on it. Jade backed away in shock and the box made a faint 'click' and opened a fraction of an inch.

"Well, I'll be darned," said Matt, "Why would it open for you?"

"I don't know," said Jade, "But something about this seems familiar somehow."

Matt pulled out his ion staff and pulled the blade out manually, not activating it proper before poking the box gently. "No boom, it's safe," he said. Jade put her hand on the lid and slowly opened it up. Matt winced, expecting something nasty to come out. When he looked, he said, "You gotta be kidding. All that security just for a necklace?"

Matt wandered over and peered in closer. A little jade dragon medallion on a gold chain was sitting inside. "I say it's made for you," joked Matt with a grin.

Jade looked at the necklace and said, "Why am I getting this weird feeling that you're right?"

"Pardon? It was a joke," said Matt, before glaring at the necklace and holding it. "You don't fool me...show me the magic...EVILEVILEVIL!" he gibbered.

"But Uncle said there was no dark chi," said Jade.

"I don't care. It'll probably explode any minute," said Matt, paranoid.

"Uh, I don't think anyone would have planted a time bomb for me like 5000 years ago," said Jade.

"Then it'll probably malfunction and turn us into gerbils or something," said Matt.

"Gerbils? Does that kind of thing really happen to you guys?" asked Jade.

"You'd be surprised," said Matt, before poking it again. "Seems safe enough. Maybe it's just a magic good luck charm?" he suggested.

"Only one way to find out," said Jade as she picked it up.

"Erm...did I ever tell you the story about the Soul Gems?" he began, too late.

Jade slipped the necklace over her head. Immediately, the gold chain glowed and shrunk until it became too small for it to be removed, but not small enough to be uncomfortable.

Sadly the duo didn't notice that. "Suits you...how about a picture?" said Matt, activating his wrist-comp's camera and the duo both jumped as Uncle's voice said, "Picture of what?"

Both of them spun around and Matt scooted Jade behind him. "Oh, hi, Uncle," said Matt, "Can I call you Uncle? Everyone else seems too."

"What are you doing?" said Uncle suspiciously before seeing the open box. "AI YA! Where is box contents?" he said.

"Uh, it was empty all along?" said Matt before being whacked by Uncle.

"You are big liar! What have done with it?"

"Erm...it exploded?" tried Matt and received two whacks that time.

"You are terrible liar," said Uncle

At that point, Jade decided to sneak away before Uncle could see her. She started walking in the opposite direction when Tohru said, "Jade, where are you going?"

Matt came to the desperate rescue. "LOOK...COOKIES!" he tried.

"Cookies? Where?" asked Tohru, looking around.

"I can't believe it was that easy," muttered Jade as she started heading for the door.

She almost made when it opened and Jackie came in. "Jade, what are you-" he was about to say when Jade ran into him.

Matt ran round the corner and slip to a halt as the necklace started to glow. "I knew it...EVIL!" he yelled and pushed Jackie into a closet out of the way. Sadly, he was not in time for himself. "Why me?" he moaned as the necklace let out a bright green glow that blinded him...oh, and blasted him back through the observation window into the ruins.

…

Ghoulwyrm looked up as he heard a smash and a distant scream, in time to see a dragon shoot out and land behind a wall in the distance with a column of dust. "No way I saw that," he said, distantly.

…

Jackie managed to kick the bent door back open. "Jade? Where are you?" asked Jackie.

"Uh, over here," said Jade's voice, only it sounded deeper.

"Jade? What's wrong with your voice?" asked Jackie.

"I don't know, everything feels wrong for some reason," said Jade.

Jackie walked over to where Jade's voice was coming from and said, "Well, you don't sound hurt too- BWAAAAAHHH!"

Chloe, Techo, Chris, and Lao, plus the experiments charged round the opposite corner and came to a stop. "Wow...who's the new Shar-Khan?" said Techo, pointing.

"Shar-what? What are you all talking about?" asked Jade, "Why are you staring at me like that? And how comes everyone's not so tall?"

Then Uncle and Tohru came around the corner and spotted Jade. "AI YA!" said Uncle.

"Whoa!" said Tohru.

"What? What are you guys staring at?" asked Jade.

"Uh, do not look in mirror," said Uncle.

Jade, being curious, looked at a nearby window which showed her reflection. She let out a loud scream of surprise when she saw that she had suddenly gotten an adult body. What's more, it was covered in green scales and had claws, spines, and a tail. Her hair was still there, but it was longer than before.

"I told you not to look in mirror!" shouted Uncle.

"It never works," said Techo before being slapped by Chloe.

Jade noticed that her eyesight was alot more sharper. "Erm...what happened to me? I look like Drago's sister," she said.

"I don't know. Were you messing with Uncle's potions?" asked Jackie.

"No, I swear I didn't touch them," said Jade.

"But you did touch enchanted necklace which was in enchanted box," said Uncle.

"Uh, what makes you say that?" asked Jade. Uncle pointed at the necklace which was around Jade's neck. "Uh, would you believe it opened up for me?" said Jade. Uncle did not look like he believed her. "It's true, Matt'll tell you. He was right here when the necklace did this...erm...where is he?" she said before seeing the hole. "No...way."

…

Drago and Ghoulwyrm came round to see an Asian half-dragon gibbering in a small crater. "I am Irrron Maaaan," it sang in a dizzy voice

"Who's this guy?" asked Drago.

"Judging by the dazed singing, I would guess that's Matt," said Ghoulwyrm, "Though last I recall, his dragon form was a European, not an Asian."

The dragon's form glowed and turned into Matt, sporting a nosebleed and a black eye. "Ooooh...talking cadaver...COOL!" he gibbered, looking at Ghoulwyrm.

"Mhm, that's Matt alright," said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago picked up Matt's head by the scruff of his armor. Matt just smiled. "You look a bit green dude...feeling ok? Ow," he said as Drago dropped his head back into the dirt.

Ghoulwyrm however looked pleased, looking at the small fire Matt's impact had caused. "Looks like Lynch did us a favor for once. How about a family reunion, Drago?"

…

Uncle was studying the dragon pendant on the necklace. "This contains very powerful magic," said Uncle, "It will take time to find out what it is. But made much simpler by opening of box."

"It's obvious what it does. It turned me into a Drago-clone," said Jade, slightly panicked, "I can't go home like this."

Chloe said, "Look on the bright side, now you can drive. The experiments had gone down into the ruins to try and find Matt."

"It is not Drago-clone maker," said Uncle, "Magic is completely different from demon magic. Besides, Jade's eyes are now green, not red."

Chloe look at Jade's eyes and saw they were the same color as jade. "Well, at least that pendant matches your eyes," said Chloe.

"Hey, your good mojo's green, must be a good sign," said Techo.

Lao nodded. "It is good chi, certainly. Plus Jade will not be in as bad danger should a demon be released."

"Well, I guess I can get used to this form," said Jade as she stretched. Suddenly, there was a rather loud ripping sound and Jade's eyes opened wide. "Uh oh," she said. Her clothes, which had been stretched to the full limit by her transformation, had just reached their breaking point. They fell off her in tattered rags, causing Jade to yelp and cover her chest and groin areas.

Chloe stared and gently steered Jade out the door. "You can borrow some spare combat armor," she said, laughing nervously.

"Uh, Chloe, what are these bulging things on my chest?" asked Jade, not exactly sure why her instincts told her to cover them up.

"You're too young," said Chloe quickly.

…

Meanwhile, Drago and Ghoulwyrm had finished excavating what Matt had uncovered. Matt was currently tied up to a rock with some of Ghoulwyrm's bandages, still not really at full processing power.

"I'm a lumberjack and I'm ok, I sleep all night, I work all day," sang the still-concussed Matt, worryingly in tune.

"He musta been hit harder than we thought. It's in tune," said Ghoulwyrm, slightly concerned.

Drago snarled as he sent up a hail of sparks, having struck some kind of metal, the same as the walls. "So what is this thing supposed to do?" asked Drago.

Ghoulwyrm uncovered part, eventually revealing that it was some sort of ring. "I give you...an omni-ring portal. Free ticket to demon-world and back," he said.

"You mean we could get all my family out through this thing?" asked Drago.

"No," said Ghoulwyrm, uncovering a faintly glowing section, "Power cell's depleted. There's enough juice for just one demon. Take your pick."

Drago considered for a minute and said, "Well, I think Dad should get to come out. He'd be a major help with getting rid of the Chans."

Ghoulwyrm nodded and began the spell to summon some Shadowkhan, the basic type. He passed them a crystal he'd removed from the portal. "It still needs a target." The Khan melted away and into the center of the portal. A second later it lit up, blue lightning making an orb in the center that exploded into a red liquid in the center.

"Are you sure Dad can fit through that thing?" asked Drago.

"You'd be surprised," said Ghoulyrm, as Shendu began to rise from the portal, aided by the Shadowkhan.

"What is this place? YOU!" he said, spotting Drago.

"Cool special effects," said Matt, his eyes pointing in opposite directions and spinning slowly.

"Uh, hey Dad, welcome back," said Drago.

"You have great gall showing your face to me," said Shendu, "Especially since you were the one who got me banished in the first place."

"Yeah...bad lizard man," piped in Matt, giggling insanely.

Shendu looked at him and said, "And I suppose this is the mercenary who's been assisting the Chans with banishing us demons?"

"I'd show you my card...but I'm all tied up," gibbered Matt before laughing madly.

"Is he always this witless?" asked Shendu.

"No, he's mostly sane most of the time, but there are times where he's even crazier," said Ghoulwyrm.

"FEAR ME!" yelled Matt before laughing even more.

"Uh, you know what, I suggest you ignore everything he says for a while," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Woooow..." said Matt, going a bit lucid.

"Well, as long as I'm on Earth again, I suppose I will need to pick an apprentice of my own," said Shendu.

"Don't worry, Dad," said Drago, "I ready and willing for any lessons you're gonna-"

"He will do," said Shendu, pointing at Matt.

"YAY...I WIN THE JACKPOT! I wanna go for double jeopardy," said Matt

"What? But Dad, I'm your son!" said Drago.

"As such, you don't need any more fire power," said Shendu, "Besides, do you think I would be willing to teach you my secrets after you betrayed me? You shall receive only one lesson: the lesson of humility."

Matt twitched before seemingly coming to his senses. "Erm...where am I?" he said slowly before looking up to see Shendu. "Wow...big," he muttered.

"I suggest you make him your apprentice now before he really knows what's going on," said Ghoulwyrm.

Matt was burning through the bandages with plasma control. "I dunno what's going on here but you are in the wrong place to pop into the world. I suggest you surrender and..." he began before a blast of chi-infused flame hit him.

…

Meanwhile, Chloe was helping Jade get dressed. Fortunately, she had a spare set of clothes for when she was in her dragon hybrid form, with holes for a tail and pants made for digitgrade legs.

"You know you can't stay this way, not forever. I'm half dragon and believe me, it's not as fun as you'd think," said Chloe, helping click the side of the chest armor up.

"Well, duh," said Jade, "I can't let Mom and Dad see me like this. Then again, being a grown up is cool, not to mention I might have cool dragon powers."

"Most likely, word of advice: be careful where you..." Chloe began and winced as Jade sent a white fireball into a crate, melting it. "...point your fingers," Chloe finished.

"Ok, I did not know I could do that," said Jade.

"Neither did I. I hope your uncle finds out what you've turned into...you ok?" said Chloe as Jade shuddered.

"I don't know why, but I'm getting the willies," said Jade.

"What is it with people getting the willies?" asked Chloe.

At that point the alarm began to ring. "Code black. Unauthorized wormhole detected in Dig. All teams respond. Deadly force authorized," said the PA. Several of the labs security ran by the dropship's window, heading for the ramp into the ruins.

"Oh great," groaned Chloe, "With our luck, it's a portal to some Z-class dimension."

"Type Z lifeform detected in dig," continued the PA.

Chloe sighed. "C'mon, we gotta go," she said, running down before stopping at a loud roar. "What...the hell...was THAT?" she said weakly.

Jade's face would have paled if weren't currently covered in green scales. "Oh no, not him," she said.

"Who's him?" said Chloe. Gunfire could be heard in the background.

"If I'm right, it's majorly bad news," said Jade.

The two ran out to look. The facility security was stuck in a huge battle with dozens of Shadowkhan and…

"SHENDU...!" said Jade, strangely feeling angry instead of frightened.

"Shendu? As in the father of Drago and the guy who has the 12 Talismans?" asked Chloe.

"Uh-huh," said Jade.

Shendu however was not doing as well. He was self-healing and immortal but the hardware the NSC teams had came with alot more punch than the stuff Section 13 had fielded. Shendu was just using his heat vision to blast another troop out of his way when he saw the half-dragon woman on the other side of the corridor. His eyes widened and said, "No, it can't be! We eliminated the last of them centuries ago."

This was all the opening a heavy weapon team member needed to fire his pulse launcher into Shendu's face. Chloe was looking at Jade. "Hey, kid...you ok?"

"Yeah, I just a really big urge to kick Shendu's butt," said Jade.

"Not without knowing your strength," said Chloe.

"But how can I find out how strong I am if I don't test it in the field?" said Jade.

"Spar with Hak Fu, said Chloe angrily, trying to drag Jade back. Shendu used telekinesis to knock the last of the marines back before saying, "My son, apprentice, kill the Celestial."

"Uh, brace for fire blasts," said Chloe as a pair of fireballs landed nearby.

Drago landed in front of them. "A Celestial? I thought my old man wiped you guys out. You look familiar, have I incinerated you before?" he said before a second shape landed in the smoke behind him.

"Stop gloating and blast them, you fool."

Chloe's eyes widened when she recognized the voice, "Matt?"

"Hi, sis," said Matt, walking into view, a fireball at the ready. It was somewhat hard to recognize Matt. He looked a lot like a smaller humanoid version of one of Shendu's dragon minions, minus the wings. However, he was still dark blue and the smirk was easy to recognize.

Chloe glared at Shendu. "I'm gonna tear that dragon's head off and spit down the hole," she hissed before dodging a slash from Matt's ion staff.

"Fat lot of good that would do," said Drago, "The Horse and Dog Talismans would counter that easily. Not like you'll be given the chance to try."

Matt glared. "Just get the Celestial, fool. I'll deal with my sister," he said.

Drago growled and said, "Fine." He approached Jade and said, "Ok, sister, you're coming with me."

"Tch, as if," said Jade before kicking him in the face. Jade was surprised when Drago was sent flying a dozen or so feet back to land with an 'oof'.

"Idiot," said Matt, before punching Chloe in the ribs.

"Matt, I thought you'd be able to resist being a demon's apprentice," said Chloe.

"Look who's talking, daughter of Tchang Zu," said Matt before throwing a fireball at her.

Chloe dodged it. "Ok, point to you. C'mon, this isn't you," she said.

"Isn't this what I said to you?" said Matt, "Pretty ironic, huh?"

Chloe nodded and pulled out an ion blade. "Oh, you wanna play hardball," said Matt, pulling out his blade. "But first..." he sent a burst of flame into the ground and causing a column of smoke.

As Chloe tried to get her bearings, she heard Jade yell, "Let me go!"

"Jade! Where are you?" called Chloe.

Chloe waved the smoke away to see Matt and Jade struggling. "Play nice. My master wished your pres...nnngh," said Matt, his eyes crossing as Jade employed a knee into a very sensitive spot.

"Yeah, take that!" said Jade as Matt tumbled over, "Uh, it is ok that I hurt your brother, right?"

"Sure, as long as it's not serious," said Chloe.

"Ok, and can you not tell Uncle Jackie I used that move?"

"World of hurt," whimpered Matt

Matt got up to see Shendu heading further into the ruins. "I'll cya later, sister," he said, heading after him, stopping briefly by Drago who was stuck under some rubble.

"Dammit...lend a hand," he said.

Matt shrugged. "Dead weight is bad for dragons," before heading onwards.

"What? Oh come on! I was his son before you even knew he existed!" yelled Drago.

Matt stopped. "Yeah, first you fail to resurrect him. THEN you double cross him. Yeah, you're a real team player. Have fun in Kryos...if my sister doesn't skin you alive," before leaving.

A minute later, Drago got his leg free and turned to see a dozen pulse rifles in his face...plus angry experiments and two angry dragonesses. "Uh, you're not still mad about that whole 'turn-the-planet-inside-out thing' right?" asked Drago.

Chloe was being held back by Xander, but only barely. "LET ME AT HIM! HE'LL DO TILL I GET MY TALONS INTO HIS OLD MAN!" she was shrieking.

Drago whimpered slightly. Unlike his father, he had no immortality power and she looked more than capable enough of tearing him to pieces. "Cheer up, dragonbreath," said Jade, "There's your old cell at Section 13 waiting for you."

Techo said, "Unless you have any ideas that can help us. Otherwise you may not make it that far. You might be left in the middle of the Antarctic without survival gear...or fire chi," grinning evilly before taking out his blade again. "And if not...snakeskin boots look cool."

"You can't take my fire chi," said Drago, "It's bound to the other 7 powers. They can't be removed. I just can't activate them all yet, that's all."

"So? Can they work without your head?" said Chris, "Or we could leave Chloe as your guard?

"I say we see how fireproof he is," said Jade, "Like dropping him in a volcano." She leaned with one hand against the wall. However, the hand that was doing the leading suddenly melted the wall away, causing Jade to fall over.

The others stared. "Great. I like the idea. Let's launch him into Sol," said Xander, evilly.

Drago gulped and said, "I...I could help Jade get over the melting problem."

Chris scoffed, "Yeah, right. That's a good one."

"Uh, Jade? Who's Jade? I don't know anyone named Jade," said Jade.

"Oh come on. I recognized the dropkick," said Drago, wincing from his aching ribs where the kick had landed.

"What do you know about her powers?" said Chip.

"More than you do, cyclops," said Drago.

There was a series of clicks and 4 rifles pointed into Drago's face. "Try again, without the insult," said Techo, smiling coldly.

Chloe finally got free and lifted Drago up without effort. "What do you know about that necklace, you overgrown viper?" she hissed.

"The old man hasn't figured it out yet?" said Drago, "Guess his bookshelves don't cover as much as he thought."

Chloe glared. "Talk or die," she said in a demonic voice.

"What? And not give your 'Uncle' the fun of telling the story himself?" said Drago.

Chloe glared. "How about you tell...and I won't break your arm," said Chloe, squeezing on Drago's arm.

Just then, Uncle's voice came over the intercom, speaking much louder than was necessary. "Hot cha! I found information about necklace. See me at laboratory!"

"Fine...lucky. Xander, bring Drago and if he tries to do anything break his spine," said Chloe. Xander nodded and grabbed Drago in a Tohru-esque hug.

"Uh, you wouldn't happen to be a distant relative, would you?" asked Drago.

Xander snarled. "Shut up. I'm not related to you. Talk to the roaches for relatives," said Xander.

…

Uncle was not impressed when Xander brought Drago in. "Uncle has enough to worry about without teenage dragons running around," snapped Uncle. Jade cleared her throat and Uncle, "Oh, except for favorite niece." Chloe cleared her throat. "You do not look like teenager," said Uncle.

"He said he can help Jade get the hang of her power so she won't accidentally melt us. Anyway, what's this necklace anyway?" said Chris.

"Necklace is known as the Vang Xian Necklace, long believe to be legend within legend," said Uncle.

"Clearly it's not," said Chloe, "What does it say about it?"

"Was created by ancient Celestial dragons but was lost to ages." said Uncle.

Techo snapped. "DOES THAT LOOK LOST TO YOU?" he yelled, pointing at the necklace.

Uncle whacked him on the forehead and said, "Do not rush storytelling!"

"Ow...please get on with it. We got enough trouble with that Shendu loser own in the ruins," said Techo

"Getting to... AI YA! Shendu has escaped the demon realm?" shouted Uncle.

"Yup, NSC security chased him back into the ruins but he...kinda recruited Matt," said Techo.

Drago yelled "...and the little worm left me to get caught by you...nnngh…" wincing as Xander squeezed.

"Why did you not tell Uncle in first place? Uncle must create banishing spell for Shendu. Which Shadowkhan did he use?" demanded Uncle.

"The normal type," said Jade, adding, "It was weird. I wasn't afraid of him. If anything I wanted to kick his butt."

"Ah, that is to be expected," said Uncle, "The Vang Xian necklace was made when the Celestial dragons were becoming a victim to a genocidal war led by Shendu and his siblings. Was meant to bring dragons back to the world."

"Great, so she's channeling dragons that are a bit pissed over being blown up? Wonderful, anything else?" said Chris.

"Only that the necklace has disappeared," said Uncle, "Few people believed legend of it existed in first place. Why else call it 'legend inside legend'?"

"She won't be able to control it," said Drago, adding for Uncle's benefit "...unless someone teaches her."

"Feh, Drago is demon dragon, not Celestial dragon, what could he know of Celestial dragon powers?" said Uncle.

"I know enough to know she's more likely to blow you up then she is my old man if she fights," said Drago.

"I hate to be the one to say it, but I'm afraid Leatherhead's got a point," said Chip, "None of us have similar enough powers to train Jade."

"We can keep him in check. We know the perfect wardens," said Chris.

Chloe growled and said, "Fine, but one wrong move and he's going straight to the tanner's." Drago smirked. Chloe returned the glare before saying, "Now we have the problem of the giant dragon in the ruins."

"You mean the one that was imprisoned in another dimension or the undead Frankenstein one?" asked Techo.

"Both would be nice, but I'd go with Mr. Demon Dude," said Chris.

"Uncle must prepare spell," said Uncle, "Tohru, where is that book?"

"Here, Sensei," said Tohru, passing the book to Uncle.

"So what'll we do? We gotta handle our currently homicidal boss," said Techo before pointing at Drago. "...and where do you want us to put the walking firelighter?

"Uncle knows how to deal with him," said Uncle. He picked up his lizard and pointed it at Drago while muttering.

"Hey, what are you-" said Drago before a blast of green light came from the lizard and hit Drago. "Hey! I can't move!" said Drago.

Xander carefully put Drago down and prodded him, making the demon rock like a statue. "This'll never get old," he said in an amused voice.

…

Meanwhile, Shendu, Matt, and Ghoulwyrm were deep inside the Atlantean ruins. "This defeat was a mere setback," said Shendu, "But I will eliminate all those humans, especially the Chans. But first, where is my son?"

"He fell behind, guy couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag if it was already open." said Matt.

"Hmm, perhaps some time in captivity will serve to remind him who is in charge here," said Shendu, "However, I will not leave my son to the mercy of those humans for long, just long enough for him to learn some humility."

"I doubt my crew could hold him indefinitely," said Matt, bowing respectfully.

"Of course not," said Shendu, "But we must prepare for future battles." A blast of fire came out of his hand and covered Matt. When it cleared, his armor had been completely altered. It now more closely resembled that of an ancient Chinese warrior with flame patterns, designed to fit Matt's altered form.

Matt staggered back a bit and some un-corruptible part of his mercenary side made him say, "That armor was brand new."

"You'll find this armor to be an improvement," said Shendu, "It is impervious to modern weapons and greatly enhances your power over fire."

Matt smirked evilly. "Perfect," he said.

…

Meanwhile, the gang and Jackie and Jade were heading through the ruins, following the trail Shendu had left. "Least he leaves a nice obvious trail," said Chris.

"Yep, just follow the scent of brimstone," said Techo.

Chloe looked at the beaker of what looked like lime juice. "So...what's this for?" she said to Jade.

"That's Uncle's penetration balm," said Jade, "Put on your hands and you'll be able to reach through Shendu's skin to pull out his talismans. We just need to pull out the Rat Talisman. Without it, he'll just turn into a statue."

Chloe made a face. "Bleah..." she said.

Jackie said, "We must be careful. Your brother is out there as well as the Shadowkhan."

"No worries. Matt is not the most...stealthy of us," said Chris.

Just then, a shadow moved and a blast of fire shot out. The group dived for cover as Matt appeared on the rooftop of an old building. "Oh, visitors, didn't you see the sign? Trespassers will be barbequed," he said, throwing a fireball at Jackie.

Jackie quickly ducked under the fireball and commented, "I should be used to this by now."

Matt jumped down and kicked Chris out when he tried to grab him before looking at Chloe, blocking a ion blade slash. "Sisters shouldn't slice up their brothers," he said, blasting her in the chest.

"And brothers shouldn't blast their sisters," said Chloe before hurling a lightning bolt at Matt.

Matt dodged the bolt, only to get caught in a bear hug from Xander. "You're not going anywhere until you're exorcised," said Xander.

"Uh, these Splinter guys are fireproof, right?" asked Jade.

Xander yelped as Matt heated himself up. "Nope," said Techo in a level voice before he and Jade ducked a fire blast at head height.

"Anyone remember to bring a fire extinguisher?" asked Jade.

Matt smirked and looked at Jade. "Here's a trick I learnt in Avalar," he said and shot a couple of fire versions of his plasma boomerangs at Jade and Techo.

Jade barely dodged the attack and said, "Oh man, what I wouldn't give for a rainfall right now." Suddenly, clouds started to form along the ceiling.

"What the-" said Matt before a heavy downpour of rain came from them.

"Uh, did I do that?" asked Jade.

"Ok...WHO DID THAT? This armor's brand new," said Matt.

"Mr. Lynch?" said Jackie behind Matt.

"WHAT?...uh oh," said Matt, turning only to be punched in the face.

"In all seriousness, where did these rainclouds come from?" asked Chris.

"Well, Chinese dragons were known for bringers of rain," said Chip, "I wouldn't be surprised if this was Jade's doing."

Matt groaned from the floor. "I can see why the master considers you a pain in the tailbone, Chan," he said, getting up.

"Say, what good's a rain storm without a little thunder and lightning?" said Chloe before using the very conductive water to electrocute Matt.

Matt gibbered in nonsense language before staggering back. "That's...cheating," he said.

"All's fair in love and war," said Chloe before shooting a lightning bolt up into the rain clouds.

"Uh, Chloe, you do realize you made everyone an open target, right?" said Chip.

"Um, oopsies," said Chloe.

Matt smirked. "Your aim sucks...OW!" he said as another bolt hit him.

"Hehe-ZIZIZIZIZIZIZIZIZIZIZIZ!" said Chip as he was hit by another lightning bolt from the clouds.

Jackie ran around dodging the bolts. "BAD DAY, BAD DAY, BAD DAAAY!" he yelled.

"LOSE THE RAIN, LOSE THE RAIN NOOW!" screamed Techo, in a panic

"But I don't know how!" called Jade.

"Wish for it go away, do something!" shouted Xander.

"THIS COMING FROM THE PERSON WHO ABSORBS ELECTRICITY...OW!" yelled Chris, jumping as a bolt hit him on the butt. Jade closed her eyes and concentrated. The cloud glowed green and vanished.

Matt got up unsteadily and said, "I'll get you for this. Why is everything blue?"

"After him," said Chloe.

"Power overload, please reboot," said Chip in a dazed tone.

Techo sighed and kicked Chip. "There...rebooted," he said

Chip stood up and said, "Ok, that should be enough." Though he kept making periodic twitches.

"After the boss," pointed Techo, before running off.

Chip, watching in night vision said, "You think he knows about the trench, Jackie?"

"Uh, what trench?' asked Jackie.

There was a distant cry and a thud. "That one?" said Jade.

"It's very dark down here!" echoed Techo's voice.

"Meh. He's fine," said Chris.

…

Matt landed on a collapsed pillar in front of Shendu, muttering about his annoying sister. "Well? How did it go?" asked Shendu.

"That stupid Celestial drenched me with a downpour and Chloe made it into a thunderstorm," said Matt. Shendu smirked. It made a nice change to see someone else get beaten up by the Chans for a change. "It's not funny," sulked Matt.

"Amusing, but problematic," said Shendu, "It would be very bad for us if this Celestial came to understand the full scope of her powers. Therefore, we must find some way to undermine her."

"Why not bring her to the dark side?" suggested Matt, in a bored voice.

"The power of her light is too strong," said Shendu, "It would be difficult at best to bring her over, let alone keep her."

Ghoulwyrm said, "No worries. I could drain her till she has less chi then a banana."

Matt glanced at him and said, "Something tells me you're more interested in feeding on her corporeal body than her spiritual one."

"A little from Column A, a little from Column B," admitted Ghoulwyrm.

"Hmm, she would be less trouble if she was no longer among the living," said Shendu, "But she will be heavily guarded by those humans and good magic."

"Celestials are hard to kill. Not even my first master knew how to kill one," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Jade can't be all dragon yet," said Matt, "She's probably still mortal enough for you to eat."

Ghoulwyrm grinned, "Good, Chan for tea and Celestial for dessert."

…

However, the meeting of the dragons wasn't as secret as they thought. The gang had managed to sneak through the ruins and was now spying on them. "Grrrr... I am itching to go down there and kick their butts," hissed Jade.

"Hey, hey, watch the tail," whispered Chip as he tried to avoid Jade's lashing tail.

Chloe grabbed Jade as her eyes started glowing bright green. "Get a grip...ACK...not that grip," she said as Jade grabbed her wrist.

"Sorry," said Jade, "Still don't know my own strength."

"I'm fine. Where's Chip?" Chloe said before looking to see Chip just on the edge of the light on the floor, having fallen down from a tail whack.

"Chip, get back here," whispered Chloe.

"I can't," said Chip, "I'm stuck on my back and I can't get up."

…

Shendu looked at Matt. "I gave you enough power to obliterate your former crew, yet you still fail," he said.

"Hey, I was outnumbered. Maybe you should have sent some backup," said Matt.

"Maybe your human side is getting in the way?" retorted Shendu.

Matt backed up. "Erm...what do you mean?" he said, not liking the tone of Shendu's voice.

"I think it's time we made you a real demon, hybrids tend to be too two-minded," said Shendu as a ball of flame appeared in his hand.

Matt backed up. "Erm, that's ok. I'm good with half and half," he said, looking around until Ghoulwyrm sent some bandages round his legs.

"No, I think a change'll do you good," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Oh don't worry," said Shendu, "The only part that will hurt is your soul being ripped out."

"Stuff that. I quit," said Matt, trying to burn the bandages off when the fireball hit him.

…

For Chloe, this was the final straw. "Why...that overgrown gecko," she hissed.

Techo gulped. "Jade, hold Chloe down...Jade?"

Jade's eyes were glowing bright green, "Shendu is so not getting away with this."

"Jade, you're too young to be fighting demonic dragons," said Jackie, "What am I saying?"

"Girls, let's not do anything hasty…" started Chip before Chloe and Jade jumped from the ledge.

"Jackie, I vote we watch, from a...oh buggeration," said Techo, turning to see a Shadowkhan. "Oh...Pizza delivery?" he said.

Chloe landed in a crouch. "SHENDU, YOU JUMPED-UP ALLIGATOR!" she yelled.

Shendu glanced at Chloe and said, "Ghoulwyrm, I believe we have uninvited guests. And if I'm not mistaken, it's my brother Tchang's ex-apprentice."

"Undo that spell," hissed Chloe, her eyes glowing white, changing to her draconic form.

"Sorry, I'm through taking orders from mortals," said Shendu before blasting heat beams from his eyes.

Chloe jumped over the blast. "Look behind you," she said, pointing.

Shendu scoffed. "Foolish mortal, I will not fall for your...ACK!" he said, being knocked down as Jade jump-kicked him.

Shendu was knocked forward by the unexpected hit. "Miss me, Ol' Smokey?" said Jade.

Shendu got up, "You forget about my Talismans. You cannot kill me...but my apprentice can kill YOU!"

When the fire cleared, Matt didn't seem too different, until he turned around and revealed that his head was a blue version of Shendu's. Chloe just seemed even more angry at that. "I'LL TEAR YOU APART...urgh," she said as Matt tackled her and threw her into a wall.

The others, still fighting the Khan spotted this. "Oh, that ain't good," said Chris, tossing Jackie a comm. "Call Uncle, tell him we need backup."

"Now, now, no one likes a stool pigeon," said Shendu as a magical blast came out of his hand and hit Chris. Chris's form quickly shrunk down into the form of a pigeon.

Techo peered over the edge. "Damn..." he muttered before turning on his own comm. "Hello? Uncle Chan? We have a slight problem. Be so good as to call security and get them to send a few exo-suits and a heavy containment grid, please?"

"Ai ya, magic must defeat magic. Have you used penetration balm yet?" said Uncle.

"We're kinda busy not dying!" yelled Techo.

"Then stop fooling around and use balm to remove Rat Talisman!" snapped Uncle.

"Ok...get a grip!" screamed Techo, who clearly needed one.

"Where is that balm anyways?" asked Chip, "And will someone get me up?"

"Urm, I think Chloe had it," said Techo, peering down, before absently shooting a Shadowkhan sneaking up on Jackie.

"Uh, I don't think removing Talismans is on Chloe's mind right now," said Chip.

Chloe lunged at Shendu only for the demonized Matt to grab her tail, and throw her aside. Techo turned the comm. back on, "Erm...what would you say if I said the captain was turned into a full demon via a spell?"

"Impossible," said Uncle, "No one can permanently alter another person's true form without full consent. Real Matt is still there, but buried deep under demon shell."

"Oh, that's good, except for the fact HE'S TRYING TO KILL US...oopsie," said Techo as Shendu turned to look at him.

"I don't need to deal with any parrots," said Shendu, sending another Monkey Talisman blast at Techo.

Techo luckily had better reflexes. Sadly, the beam hit Chris. "Awk, it's Baba Yaga all over again, awk," squawked Chris.

"Least he can talk now...JACKIE!" said Techo, pointing to the beaker of penetration balm.

Jade however was trying to do her best to harm Shendu. "Your powers are weak against mine, child," said Shendu, using Rabbit speed and Ox strength to send Jade flying across the cavern.

Jade rolled to a stop and heard a clink before looking over to see the beaker of balm. "Jade, use the balm!" called Jackie, before kicking a Shadowkhan over the edge.

Ghoulwyrm had been watching this. "Now this is entertainment," he said before seeing Jade go for the balm. Jade was about to grab before Ghoulwyrm jumped down in front and grabbed her. "Aw, perfectly aged and an exotic blend," said Ghoulwyrm, "I'll bet you'll taste...divine."

Jade's eyes went green and she said in an echoing voice, "Begone demon," before throwing one of the white fireballs into Ghoulwyrm's chest, sending him through the previously-thought-indestructible Ancient wall material. Jade landed on her feet and shook her head. "Whoa, where did that come from?" she asked. She looked down and said, "Oh yeah, time to do a little rat removal."

Chloe however was not having a good day. Things were not stacked in her favor. Matt easily picked her up and said in a voice holding the same hissing quality Shendu had, "You like the new me, sissster?"

"Not at all," said Chloe, "You got a really terrible facelift. It's practically a facedrop."

Matt snarled and punched her into the wall. "No matter. I don't need you anymore."

"But I bet you still need Kala," said Chloe, "and I don't think she would like what you've become."

Matt stopped, a confused look coming over his face and the red glow fading a bit. Matt blinked and muttered, "Kala..." His eyes were starting to go soft, but then he noticed Chloe sneaking away. "Hey! Get back here!" Chloe ran round a corner, Matt following in a fury. He stopped when he saw an empty dead end. "Come out, sissster," he said and roared as a lightning bolt earthed in his back.

"Sorry Matt, nothing personal," said Chloe.

Matt growled. "This is," he said, throwing a fireball into Chloe's chest before planting a foot on her chest.

Then Matt felt someone tap on his back and he looked back. "Um, sorry," said Jackie, "But I don't think you should barbeque your sister."

Matt snarled, "Chan," before trying to slash at him, missing, "Stay still, you little worm."

"Uh, please, I have no quarrel with you," said Jackie as he ducked under one of Matt's slashes.

"You are an enemy of my master. YOU WILL BURN..ow!" he said as Techo pushed a piece of masonry onto his head.

"How about you to a break?" said Techo.

"Ok, daddy, Matty go night-night..." said Matt before falling over.

Techo smirked. "When in doubt, drop a building on em...URK!" he said as a Monkey Talisman blast turned him into a guinea pig.

"Um, I really shouldn't say this," said Chloe, "But you look so cute." The guinea pig glared angrily. Chloe looked down to see the balm had rolled their way. "Scrub up," she said, picking it up and popping the cork.

…

Jade dodged a Dragon Talisman blast and jumped onto Shendu's back, pushing her hands into Shendu's back. So far she had only gotten the Pig, Sheep, and Tiger Talismans, sadly getting the Monkey a second too late for poor Techo.

"Hey Jade, toss me one of those Talismans! I can help!" called Chip, who had just gotten up.

Jade, in a rush grabbed the Sheep Talisman, throwing it over to Chip, realizing too late. "Oops," she said as Chip keeled over after the Talisman flashed.

Of course, Chip didn't realize it either. "Alright, here I come!" shouted Chip as he charged a Shadowkhan, only to go right through it. "What the?" He looked back and saw his body. "Am I having an out-of-body experience?" he asked.

Jade yelled, "Chip, if you can hear me, that's the...YAAA!" she said as Shendu threw her off.

"Foolish Celestial, like all your race, they trusted these...old ones...and paid just like they did," he said.

"The what?" asked Chip. He glanced down and saw the Sheep Talisman in his hand. "Oh, of course," he said and dove back into his body. Chip quickly sat up and looked at the talisman. "Not very useful for combat purposes," he said. He noticed that Jade had dropped one that had a pig marking on it. "I hope this isn't the 'eat-anything' talisman," said Chip as he picked it up. He jumped as a Shadowkhan lunged at him and his optic glowed before a beam of heat energy hit the Khan, vaporizing it. "Chip likes," he said.

Shendu glared at Chip before looking at Jade. "Join the rest of your feeble race in limbo," he said and started to chant something before Jackie and Chloe, hands glowing, jumped on his back.

"Oooh, dragon, that's suitable," said Chloe.

Then Jackie pulled out what he had been looking for, "Rat!"

Shendu's eyes widened as he felt the animating magic leave him. "No! No! Not again!" he yelled before he was covered in yellow light.

Chloe jumped off just in time as Shendu changed into a dragon statue with several Talismans in niches on him. She looked at the Dragon Talisman before over at Chip. "Chipster, one shot on lawn ornament here please," she said, pointing at Shendu.

"Uh, I wouldn't do that," said Jackie, "That's how the whole demon portal thing got started in the first place."

"You blew up Shendu?" asked Chip.

"Jade did it," said Jackie, causing Jade to give him an annoyed look.

Chloe looked at Shendu. "He'd make a good figurehead for the ship. Hey, dragon dude, reverse what you did to my brother or prepare for life on an asteroid for eternity," she said, prodding the statue.

"You cannot force me to do anything," said Shendu.

Chloe grinned and said, "Hey Techo, you got a marker pen I could, oh wait, you're a guinea pig. Chris do you, oh wait, you're a parrot. Uh, which of these things does the animal thing?"

Jade picked up the Monkey Talisman and aimed it at the two animal mercs. "Change them back," she said, making the Talisman send out two beams that changed the mercs back to normal.

"Now that...was screwed up," said Techo

Chloe looked at the Dragon. "Then what's this do?" she said, shaking it, facing away from her. The Talisman sent a blast out and sadly into Ghoulwyrm who had just gotten up.

"Hey guys, check out what this little piggy can make me do," said Chip before firing another massive heat blast from his eye. The blast hit Ghoulwyrm who just up again.

"I hate you both soooo much. I'm going to go just find my kidney...oh...found it," gibbered the unseen Ghoulwyrm.

"So, how are we going to un-demonfy Matt?" asked Chip.

"I think we'll have to ask Uncle," said Jackie.

Matt however had gotten up unsteadily. "What hit me?" he said before seeing Shendu. "MASTER! YOU WILL ALL PAY!" he roared and lunged, sadly at Jade who still had the Monkey Talisman.

"Hedgehog!" shouted Jade. The blast of magic hit Matt and quickly caused him to shrink down and land at Jade's feet as a hedgehog. "Cute," she said.

The hedgehog still had demon eyes as Chloe picked him up. The look said 'I'll get you for this' quite clearly. "What about dragon dude?" she said, pointing a thumb at Shendu.

"There's always the vault at Section 13," said Jackie.

"Nice, and if he gets troublesome, launch him to the moon," said Techo. He was holding a grudge over the guinea pig episode.

"You won't be defeating me that easily," said Shendu, "Shadowkhan, attack!"

Everyone waited. "I think they retired," said Chris, with a smirk.

…

Later, Uncle was working his magic on Matt. They kept him a hedgehog to prevent him from retaliating with fire blasts. A purple energy cloud emerged from the hedgehog and its red eyes faded to normal.

Chloe said, "Change him back," pointed the Monkey Talisman at him.

Matt re-appeared with a confuse look. "gnnfizzwibble?" he said.

"Demon chi extraction spell is complete," said Uncle, holding up a small jar that had dark energy in it.

"Ok, why am I wearing this antique armor?" asked Matt, "And why do I have the urge to curl into a ball when something threatens me?"

"Erm, probably same reason my armor was. It got demonified. And the second...well...we had stop you somehow," said Chloe, looking a bit embarrassed.

Jade said, "What about me?"

"Necklace removal spell will be very tricky," said Uncle, "This is very ancient magic. Uncle not sure he can find a suitable spell in books."

Jade stared and Matt, who sadly was still not up to date on events, said, "Let me try...YAAAH!" he said as he grabbed the necklace and was zapped out the room's door.

"I told you it would be tricky," said Uncle.

"Say, has anyone seen Morph?" asked Chloe.

"I think he went outside again," said Techo as he turned on a surveillance monitor. It soon showed footage of Morph outside in a tuxedo again, but this time he was being chased by a leopard seal.

"See? Sometimes something good is on the telly," said Techo.

Jade said, "I can't stay like this. I won't even be able to go outside."

Xander said, "That's why we kept Drago as a souvenir. I'm sure with certain...persuasion he can be made to help."

"Speaking of which, where is lizard lips?" asked Jade.

"Oh, he's just having a little father/son time right now."

…

In the dropship's cargo, Drago was still petrified next to his father's statue form. "You fool. Again we are trapped because of you," said Shendu

"Hey, if someone would have cared enough to spring me out or make me an apprentice instead of Lynch, I wouldn't have been so easily captured," retorted Drago.

"Silence! Your foolishness has opened the way for the Celestials to return," said Shendu, angrily.

"Well, maybe you shouldn't have done such a half-assed job with getting rid of them," said Drago, "You should have destroyed that necklace when you could. Now Chan's bratty niece has the power of the dragons."

"I could not destroy the Celestials for the same reason my enemies spared me," said Shendu, furiously.

"Well, you should have sent that box to limbo when you first had the chance," snapped Drago.

"I was preoccupied..." said Shendu before a marine came in.

"Hey, shut it, you two before I throw you both in the Antarctic Sea."

The two of them were quiet for a minute before Drago said, "Where's that stupid Ghoulwyrm? He should have broken us out by now."

"He will not come. Never trust the undead," said Shendu before being thoughtful, "Chan's niece has the necklace. She is quite young for such power, susceptible you might say."

"Susceptible to what?" asked Drago.

"To corruption," said Shendu, "Her cockiness rivals that of yours. If I know her well enough, which I think I should by now, she'll eventually like her new found powers and won't want to get rid of them. And pride is the most corruptible sin of all."

Drago glared, "Oh, it'll be sooo easy with those mercenaries and the old man," he said sarcastically.

Shendu chuckled, "You have already been requested to teach her the basics of control, use your position."

"Heh, that'd be no problem," said Drago, "Not to mention she's pretty easy on the eyes right now."

Shendu was silent for a minute before saying, "Keep your eyes on your work. You can think about mating after you've corrupted her."

…

**A while later...**

Professor Nai-Kan watched on a security feed as the Lynches' dropship left, carrying the two demons away. Another screen displayed the words, 'Incoming Comm'. Nai-Kan sighed and turned it on and said, "Sir, I don't know why you are calling. The Lynches are none the wiser or even know of the level 4 labs," he said.

"I was just making sure," responded the caller, "Nothing has gone wrong, has it?"

"Nothing, in fact we almost secured a good donor subject. Unfortunately, we could not secure him before Lynch's men got there. However I have a good feeling we will get another chance. Why did you involve those mercenaries in the first place?"

"Mr. Lynch is rather well known for fopping any magic-related situation," said the caller, "He's becoming quite a bit of a joke in the magical community."

"Yes...but not always. We should deal with him as soon as possible," said Nai-Kan.

"In time," said the caller, "There are still other demons to potentially catch. Now, you told me that the girl has managed to open that box?"

"Yes, sir, could be a good backup…" said Nai-Kan and was interrupted.

"Please, we have some standards."

Nai-Kan sighed. "Yes, McNeil," he said.

* * *

And there's another, very exciting, chapter. This is what is often refered to as a 'turning point', that which divides one half of a story while the second half goes in a new direction. I'm pretty sure that there's no Jackie Chan elements that need re-introducing, so let's focus on the highlights: Drago's been imprisioned (for now), Shendu's relased from the Demon Netherworld but has been turned to stone and had his Talismans taken (again), the gang now have the Talismans because of previous reason, and Jade now has the body of an adult dragoness with new powers to boot. That has got to be a defining perk for everyone.

Next week has more fillers, but don't be glum because they are really great ones. Keep an eye out for the update on Wednesday and please review.


	8. Bid and Gamble

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 8: Bid and Gamble**

Captain Black had filled in on everything during the flight back. So when the jet made it back to Section 13, there was a battalion of troopers waiting to make sure Drago wouldn't pull anything.

Matt looked out the jet window to see the army. "Aren't you the popular ones?" he taunted Drago and Shendu. He was still annoyed over what had happened at Antarctica base and had made it his personal mission during the flight back to attempt to send the two demons nuts.

"The humans have reason to fear me," said Shendu, "Though I make be locked again in the stone shell, my power is far great than-"

"Blah, blah, blah," interrupted Matt, "Is there any way to make you shut up?"

Techo said, "We could weld his mouth shut. I saw some spare plating earlier," with an evil grin. Shendu disproved that theory by shooting a gout of flame from his petrified mouth.

Matt and Techo had been dodging various pyrotechnics most of the trip and just laughed. Matt said, "Now we warned what we'd do if you kept that up," before firing a fire extinguisher.

Shendu couldn't really cough, but his voice showed a lot of outrage, "Stop that! This is undignifying of a demon sorcerer of my caliber!"

"I know...that why we're doing it," said Techo, cheerfully.

Drago chuckled and said, "Better watch your mouth, old man."

Matt and Techo turned to look at Drago, before Matt aimed the extinguisher at him too. "Quiet, you," said Matt and sprayed him as well.

Drago coughed and yelled, "Hey! Cut it out!"

Matt thought about this. "Erm...no," he said and fired the last of the extinguisher foam.

The two mercs walked out laughing their heads off and walked into Jade. She had gotten slightly better at handling her powers...well...Matt counted the fact that things no longer exploded when she sneezed as an improvement, thanks to Drago's tips. Uncle however had not been happy with Drago's lessons and had sat in on every lesson to make sure nothing was pulled.

"Hey Jade, how's it going?" asked Matt.

"Fine, but these scales are starting to itch," said Jade.

"Yeah...they do that," said Matt absently.

Techo said, "Lao's home verse has dragons. Maybe he knows a few things that might help?" The trio arrived at the exit ramp just as the dropship touched down and opened.

Immediately, the Section 13 troopers aimed at Jade. "Whoa, whoa, easy," called Matt, "She's not Drago. In fact, she's kinda the opposite."

Jackie ran down the ramp, waving at the troopers. "No, that's Jade! Don't shoot!" he said.

Matt muttered to himself, "Knowing how magic here works, it probably won't work anyhow."

At that, the troopers' weapons lowered in surprise and they all but dropped when they got a good enough look at the half-dragon woman. "Eh, puberty, huh? Totally crazy," said Jade.

The guns came straight back up when Techo and Chloe came down the ramp, pushing Drago between them. "We brought a souvenir from Antarctica. They were outta spare penguins so this and the talking lawn ornament'll have to do," said Chloe.

"We brought some snow though," said Techo holding up a snowball before shoving it down the back of Drago's pants.

Matt looked at Capt Black's expression and said, "We believe in destroying a villain's dignity."

"Uh, perhaps you might need to give me a bit more detail of what happened down there," said Captain Black.

…

Later, Matt had finished explaining what had happened in Antarctica. "You realize you can't tell anybody about that base, right?" he said.

"As if my superiors would believe a word of this," said Captain Black, "They're already starting to think I'm cracking up."

"I can understand that," said Matt, "I remember when I tried to tell them about the spiderbots the first time."

"About that, is it possible for those things to sneak in here?" asked Captain Black.

"They're probably already here. Have tools and random scrap metal vanished? Found any landmines under the seat cushions?" said Matt before seeing Black's stare, "And now you see why they thought I was crazy."

"Right, well, there's also the matter about Jade," said Captain Black, "I could pull strings to create a new identity, but those who knew her would be suspicious, not to mention humans with tails are considered an irregularity."

"Yes...we have so much trouble with the experiments," said Matt, "Uncle said he can get that amulet off her in a few days. He and WARDEN are racing to find the spell again."

"Didn't you say this necklace was created by...ancient gods?" asked Black.

"It was found in an outpost of a race from Nullspace. But records say somebody called the 'Celestials' made it," said Matt.

"The what?"

Matt shrugged, "I don't know, Chinese mythology isn't my specialty."

Black said, "Are you sure that having Drago teach Jade is a good idea?"

Matt said, "Well...I did mention that if he tried anything I'd maker some boots out of him but Uncle and Draco 628 are watching him."

"Right, the last thing we want is Drago pulling any fast ones," said Black.

"We got him covered and in a few days, Uncle'll have that thing off and my boss'll lock it away where it can't be used," said Matt.

Black nodded and said, "Well, I believe that covers it. Unless there's anything you want to add."

"Nope. Just watch out for those spiderbots. Word of advice: bribing them with DVD's like Mythbusters works," said Matt, walking out.

…

Sometime later, another of Jade's 'lessons was taking place in the sparring dojo. Jade had changed into one of Chloe's workout outfits. Uncle, Draco and Chloe were also watching to make sure nothing went pear-shaped. Drago glared at his jailers before saying, "Now try a fireball again." Jade concentrated as a ball of white light stated to form in her hand. "Now, erm...Imagine you're throwing a ball," said Drago before backing out of the way. This lesson had not gone too well the first time, confirmed when the watching trio also headed for cover.

Jade attempted to do so, but she reflexively moved her actual arm and the ball of light flew out of her hand. The ball shot out like it had been hit by a train, shooting out the roof with ease...and the floors above. Chloe walked to look up the hole with Drago. "The guys on the International Space Station are in for a shock," Chloe muttered.

"Ai ya! This is waste of time," said Uncle, "Demon magic is different from Celestial magic, Jade lucky she can learn to hold back from him."

"I dunno. Maybe the threat of fireballs'll make NASA finish the ISS faster?" said Chloe.

"Can we do something else now?" asked Draco, "The repair bill's high enough as it is."

Chloe looked at Drago who was inching towards the door and absently put a lightning bolt in the floor at his feet. "Oh no you don't, cheeky," she said.

"Er, who's being cheeky?" asked Drago, nervously.

"Get back in here, you overgrown gecko," said Chloe. Drago didn't seem that eager to move. "Draco, help dissuade our 'tutor' from leaving," said Chloe.

Draco breathed his ice breath over Drago's feet, holding him in place. Uncle however had a more direct approach, swatting Drago across the nose. "Ow!" cried Drago, rubbing his nose.

"Now, let's get back to work, shall we?" said Chloe.

Drago glared. "Don't you have a potion to be working on? It's not like I can try anything," he said.

Chloe said, "It's not that we don't trust you...wait...that's exactly why."

…

Meanwhile, in the canteen which Uncle had turned into a temporary alchemy lab, Tohru was working on the necklace removal potion and was being careful. The warnings in the book with the spell in it had included some...graphical accompaniments. Of course, these were scattered among several different books, Celestials weren't exactly common knowledge, even in older times.

"Hmm...unicorn horn?" said Tohru, reading through the ingredients before looking at the range of powders and various exotic ingredients Uncle had requested from the shop. There were many different containers that held some kind of horn, whole, powdered, or chopped, but none of them said 'Unicorn'. "Uh oh," said Tohru as Uncle came in.

"Why 'Uh oh'?" he said, suspiciously.

"One of the books mentioned unicorn horn," said Tohru, "But I do not see any among the ingredients."

Uncle took the book and read through it himself before looking at the bottles and jars.

…

Matt was walking to the lift back to the surface. After Antarctica, he wanted to walk in some warm sunshine. There was a sudden 'AI YA!' from a doorway he was passing. When he was sure his heart had not exploded he poked his head in to see what had happened. When he saw Uncle and Tohru, Matt asked, "Uh, is there a problem?"

"We have no unicorn horn. Uncle cannot make necklace removal potion without key ingredient," said Uncle.

"Unicorns? Those are really hard to find, aren't they?" said Matt.

Uncle slapped Matt. "Of course they are! Otherwise we would have horn for potion," he snapped.

Matt rubbed his head and said, "Ok, hang on a minute, I'll see what I can dig up."

…

A few minutes later, Matt was digging through the various stuff the gang had collected over the years, half-expecting to see a whole case of unicorn horns stashed in somewhere.

"Ok...let's see...dragon claw, data gem, nuclear grenade, treasure map...hmm," said Matt, before pocketing the map. "Nope...nothing here unless a landmine is a good substitute," he said, turning to Chip who had been helping, "Any luck?"

"Not so far," said Chip, "Alicorn is harder to find then hen's teeth." He pushed aside an old helmet and picked up a small jar. "Oh look, hen's teeth," said Chip.

Matt said, "Oh, landmine. I think it's part of a matching set."

Chip sighed and delved into another pile before hearing an ominous beep. "I think I found the other one," he said.

Just then, Morph walked in. "Watcha doing?" asked Morph.

"Quick, eat this," said Matt, shoving the active landmine into Morph's mouth.

Matt and Chip both tried to leg it before Morph's eyes crossed and he exploded. Fortunately, his body muffled a majority of the explosion, but it still left white goo splattered everywhere.

Matt got up unsteadily to see Chip looking shellshocked, having taken most of the concussive blast. "At the sound of the beep, it will be 3'o'clock exactly," he said in a dazed voice.

Uncle came in to see the small level of carnage. "Ai ya. Is this cargo or armory?" he said.

Matt staggered by, dragging Chip who was rigid and now channeling a rock music radio station. "Both, really," he said.

Uncle poked at one of the white spots on the wall and examined the slime on his finger. "What is this?" he demanded.

"It's Morph..." said Matt, walking out.

…

Matt dragged Chip in behind him to where NegaMorph was. "Yo, Nega. Need a hand with Chip here...what are you reading?" he said.

"Uh, nothing you'd be interested in," said NegaMorph, putting whatever it was behind his back.

Matt propped Chip against a wall, who was now channeling a sport commentary, and walked over. "C'mon...SHARE!" he said, tackling NegaMorph and trying to snatch whatever NegaMorph was hiding.

"Hey! Cut it out! It's mine to read as I please," said NegaMorph before Matt managed to get the magazine.

Matt looked at it. "_Nefarious Weekly_," he announced, reading the title. "Oh, I heard rumors about this," he said, opening it and seeing an article in the contents about him, flicking through to it, his gaze darkening.

"Yeah, it's a great laugh most of the time," said NegaMorph, "But with the articles they've been running recently, I thought it'd be best if you didn't know."

Matt's eyes were starting to glow and wisps of smoke began to rise from where Matt was holding the magazine. "Matthew Lynch, Psychotic Hero?" snarled Matt.

"Oh that, I forgot about that one," said NegaMorph.

Matt looked ready to explode when he saw another article, apparently a regular article on Taleth and his team. Fortunately, NegaMorph had the sense to snatch the magazine out of Matt's hands before it burst into flames. "Yeah, that was the part that I didn't think you should be reading," said NegaMorph.

"I'm going to peel Taleth like a grape," said Matt in an echoing voice.

"Actually, I think you'd be better off focusing your wrath on Seleni," said NegaMorph as he flipped the magazine open, "She and Kai have apparently been at each other's throats since Taleth enlisted Kala."

Matt looked at that part and his gaze darkened even further, his stabilizing amulet glowing as it kept his anger from causing an explosion.

"In a way, it's kinda funny," said NegaMorph, "Sorta like a celebrity magazine, only except for them fighting over husbands or movie spots, they're fighting over treasure, control of the Shar-Virk, Taleth's affections, the right to kill you, the same dress..." NegaMorph paused and doublechecked it. "Huh, guess women are women, no matter the species."

Matt stopped, mercenary pride making him say, "How many death threats have I got so far?"

"Well, you got a couple of threats, but not all of them ending with death," said NegaMorph, showing Matt one section.

Matt looked at it and blinked before cleaning his glasses and double checking. "Oooook then," he said simply.

NegaMorph waited impatiently before smacking Matt and said, "Turn the page already."

Matt nodded. One of the...non-threats had sent a photo with her letter. He turned the page to a section marked 'announcements from the publisher'. Matt's glazed look faded as he noticed the publisher's surname. "The Romanov Clan publishes this?" he asked.

"Yeah...I wondered why NSC Intel never shut them down. They probably subscribe," said NegaMorph.

Matt, however, was not listening as the headline article for the announcements was an auction. However, what interested Matt were the pictures of some of the items for sale. "That look familiar?" he said to NegaMorph.

NegaMorph looked closely at the photo Matt was pointing at. "That is either a tusk from a narwhal, or it's the horn from a unicorn," he said.

"Yup..." said Matt.

The duo both jumped as Uncle said behind them, "It is indeed a unicorn horn."

NegaMorph was barely stirred about Uncle's unexpected presence, Matt wasn't pleased. "We found a horn...but I doubt we'll get it easily." said Matt.

Morph staggered in, teetering with every step. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Oh, just planning how to break into what will probably be a fortress as well as making permanent enemies of the most prominent arms dealers in Nullspace," said Matt sarcastically.

"Ok, what for?" asked Morph.

"They have final ingredient of potion," said Uncle.

Matt said, "Yeah...shame we can't get it."

"Why not?" demanded Uncle.

"Well, we've got a...history with the Romanovs, and we were unintentionally involved with the death of one member, so they don't like so much," said Matt.

Uncle glared, "Ai ya. Horn is needed for potion."

Matt returned the glare, "The only way my team can go in is as bodyguards...and the kinda people who frequent those places are not likely to hire us."

"What kind of horn?" asked Morph.

"Unicorn horn," said NegaMorph.

"Oh, I got that," said Morph before leaving the room. When he came back, he was pushing a large tank filled with water that had a whale with a spiraling tusk swimming around in it.

The group just stared. "I give up," said Matt.

"Where'd you even get that?" asked NegaMorph.

"I found him down at the South Pole," said Morph, "He looked lost so I took him with me. Why is Matt banging his head on the wall?"

"Cause I think he's having a bad day," said NegaMorph.

Just then, Chip's audio transmitters started giving off a lot of static before a female voice starting coming out, "Hello? Romanov? Are you there?"

The group all turned to look and Matt walked up carefully. "Romanov isn't here right now. Can I take a message?" he said uncertainly.

"This is Anya speaking," said the voice, "I'm afraid I might not be able to make it to the auction. I've come down with a bad case of dragonpox."

The others looked at each other. "Certainly Ma'am. I'll let him know straight away," said Matt with a smirk.

"Thank you," said Anya before breaking into a loud cough as the signal was cut off.

Matt grinned. "Maybe it's a good thing we don't have that potion yet," he said, turning to the others.

"Uh, you don't even know who this Anya is," said Chip.

"Nope...but I bet NegaMorph has," said Matt.

"Hmm... her name does ring a bell," said NegaMorph, "Hang on a minute." He opened his N-mouth and started pulling out several old issues of Nefarious Weekly.

The others watched until NegaMorph pulled out another magazine and offered it to Matt. "No...you read it," said Matt.

NegaMorph gave a haughty sniff and said, "I'll have you know that I keep things hermetically fresh." He opened the magazine and flipped a few pages. "Ah, here she is... Well I'll be darned."

Matt looked to see a spitting image of Jade's current form, except for the lethal-looking chainsword in the figure's hand and the gaze that said she would very like to use said chainsword on the reader. "Hmm...what are the chances?" said Matt.

Uncle looked at the picture and said, "Ai ya! How is Jade in this magazine?"

"It's not Jade," said NegaMorph, "It's some chick named Anya who happens to look exactly like her. And apparently she's got a really big mean streak."

Matt looked at the profile that read like the back of a trading card. "Hmm...452 bounties, 215 of which are for extreme piracy within Combine and NSC territory," he read.

"What species is she?" asked Chip.

"Splitter. Dankoras clan," said Matt, reading that part, "Says here that she's a real recluse...though with all those bounties, many of which seem to prefer dead over alive, I'd be a shut-in too."

"She doesn't look really Splitter-ish," said Morph, "She doesn't have a muzzle."

"Look...it also states that photo was taken the last time she was sighted in public," said Matt.

"Please, I don't think it was that long," said Chip.

"I guess not by some species' sense of time," said Matt, "Only 2 and a half centuries." Chip stared at the image as Matt said, "Xander's only 312 years old...they live a long time."

"Yes, I think there's a bit of debate about them evolving from dragons or something like that," said NegaMorph.

"Yeah...I heard that," said Matt, innocently.

Uncle immediately spoke up as he realized what Matt's plan was about to entail. "You think you can make Jade impersonate space pirate? That is crazy talk!" snapped Uncle.

"It's also easier then strolling in and shooting everyone. It'll take ages," said Matt.

"You could never pull it off," said Uncle, "Jade won't know how to act."

"Hate to rain on your idea, but he's got a point," said Chip.

"Aha...we have a resident git though," said Matt, referring to Drago.

"Drago would know less about space pirates," said Uncle, "He's never been in space."

"That argument aside, I still think we need to consult with the others before deciding on this," said Chip.

"It's the only chance we're going to have...unless we wanna explain to Jade's parents why their daughter is now taller than them," said Matt.

"Well, it's not our decision alone," said Chip.

…

"...and so we get it, get that horn, and get out before we're rumbled, what do you think?" asked Matt, finishing his plan explanation to the rest of the gang.

Jackie looked like Matt was insane. "You're kidding," he said in a serious tone of voice.

"Serious as the plague," said Matt.

The gang had seen fit to let Jade put a vote in too, given it would be her neck on the line if it all went pear shaped. "Let's do it," she said in classic Jade attitude.

"Jade, you will be among dangerous criminals from different galaxies," protested Jackie before pausing and saying, "What am I saying?"

"Hey, I'm not a criminal," said Matt, before pointing at NegaMorph, "But he used to be one."

"C'mon Jackie, I'm a secret agent now and secret agents go undercover at bad guy parties," said Jade.

"Absolutely not," said Jackie, "You'll be found as soon as they spot you. You don't know how to act like a space pirate."

"I could give her some pointers. Remember when we had to do that contract for NSC Intel, Chloe?" said Matt and wilted under Chloe's glare that said that she did remember, quite well.

"Isn't there any other way to get a unicorn?" asked Jackie.

"Well," said Draco, reading from a book, "The only known way to catch a unicorn is to have a virgin maiden sit beneath a tree in a forest where unicorns are known to live in and sing for the beast. The unicorn will then approach them and lay their heads on their laps."

The others paused and looked at Chloe. Chloe readied a lightning ball in her hand. "Just try it," she said in a warning tone.

"Didn't think it would work anyways," said Draco, "Her singing would probably drive it away." Matt winced as Chloe's lightning ball earthed on Draco's horns, making the experiment judder, gibber some nonsense in Tantalog, and fall over.

"So...what's it gonna be? The auction starts tomorrow night according to the ad," said Matt.

"Well, maybe Drago could give me some pointers," said Jade, "By the way, I think he's trying to do something to me."

"And what would that be?" said Tohru in a threatening tone.

"Well, when I look at him, I get a tingling feeling. Not to mention I'm not finding him so nasty-looking anymore," said Jade.

NegaMorph suddenly looked disturbed. "Guys? Can I talk to you...NOT YOU, JADE!" he said. Jade wasn't sure what was said but Matt and Jackie both made nervous noises to whatever NegaMorph was saying.

Jade tried to listen in, but she couldn't make out much. However, voices started to rise at one part. "No way, why should it be me?"

"Would you rather she learn it by herself or from less favorable sources? Besides, it's a girl-girl thing."

"Oh, now that's just stereotyping."

"I'm not giving The Talk," said Matt, in an annoyed voice before everyone peered over at Jade in a 'conspiracy theory' way before starting to whisper again.

After about a minute's whispering, Chloe finally said, "Alright, alright, I'll do it. But you owe me big for this."

"Ok...off you go," said Matt cheerfully, pushing Chloe forward.

Chloe walked over to Jade and said, "Um, Jade, we need to talk, girl-to-girl."

…

Matt peered round the corner to where Jade and Chloe were talking. "This is...just weird...even for my career," he muttered to himself.

"Can you keep it down? You're drowning them out." Matt looked down to see Chip with a listening device in one hand which was connected to a digital recorder.

Matt stared and rolled his eyes. "Have you forgotten what happened the last time? I am not paying to beat out the dents this time," he said before walking off.

He silently counted, getting to 10 before he heard Chloe say, "Hey...what the smeg are you doing, Chip?" closely followed by Chip screaming.

Jackie walked up to Matt and heard Chip's piteous cries. "What's going on?" asked Jackie.

"Chloe caught Chip eavesdropping on her and Jade," said Matt.

"Chip? But didn't you say he has no gender?" asked Jackie.

"He doesn't, he's 'recording for science'," said Matt, "However, he doesn't have much of a concept for necessary privacy."

Jackie gulped a bit before remembering why he had come to find Matt. "Matt, I have to come along. Jade is bound to get into trouble and I need to be there to protect her," said Jackie.

Matt shrugged. "That depends. The Romanovs are as big a bunch of total ding dongs as you'll meet outside a belfry," he said.

"You yourself said they were very dangerous," said Jackie, "If something happened to Jade, I'd never be able to forgive myself."

"Ok...Chloe always says that someone with a sense of survival should be near me at all times anyhow," said Matt.

Just then, Chip's disembodied arm fell between them. Jackie looked like he was going to be sick. "Relax, it's detachable," said Matt. Chip's head landed a few seconds later. "See, Chip? I told you that saying 'it's for science' is not an excuse," said Matt.

"I still say you're being overly sensitive," said Chip.

"Fine...but you have to pull yourself together," said Matt, dropping Chip's head before looking to see Jackie had fainted.

…

Sometime later, Chip was putting himself back together, which was a bit tricky since his arms weren't on his body yet. "You know what's going to be the most difficult part about this mission?" said Draco who was watching.

Chip was trying to screw in his left arm with his foot. "You mean harder then attaching your own arms with your feet?" he said

"It'll be getting Matt to behave during that fancy party," said Draco.

"I don't know," said Chip as he managed to get the arm in, "I don't think he's completely beyond hope."

"Yeah, right. And on that day, Morph will go 5 minutes without doing something crazy," he scoffed.

"Oh really?" said Chip, "Care to make a friendly wager on that?"

Draco grinned. "It's a shame to take your coconut cake from you, so easily," he said.

"No, let's make the stakes more interesting," said Chip.

"Like what? Loser does the Funky Gluknar?" asked Draco.

"The Witless Dance of a Thousand Hours?" said Chip, "Do you know how long 1000 hours is?"

Draco looked blank. "Erm...a long time?" he suggested.

"Actually it would be 5 weeks, 6 days, and 16 hours," said Chip, "I don't think either of us has that amount of spare time."

Draco nodded, "Coconut cake wager?"

"How about this? Loser has to pamper Uncle for 24 hours, no matter how cranky he is," said Chip.

Draco gulped for a second before looking determined and saying, "You're on...but no replacing limbs or hypnotizing Matt."

"Deal," said Chip, "Not like I'd need any of that. Um, I'd shake your hand on it, but I'm having a little trouble finding the right hand to do it with." Chip grinned. There were other ways and no self-respecting experiment played by the rules...

…

Matt's first reaction when he woke up from his nap was to notice the headphones on his head. He reached out and gripped Chip by the neck and hit him against the floor...THEN he woke up. "Why am I listening to an etiquette tape?" he said.

"Er, if you're to be able to get that alicorn without having to fight for it, you'll need to be able to blend in with the other upper crust that will be at that auction," said Chip.

"What did both me AND Draconus say about subliminal tapes when you first came aboard?" said Matt, glaring.

"Uh, hang on a minute, I need to look that up," said Chip. He paused and said, "Something about being flushed down the toilet?"

"Yes...remember that at that time we were trying to reset the toilet water after the spiderbots set it to sulfuric acid?" said Matt, glaring harder before picking up the cassette player and hitting Chip with it before throwing him out.

Draco was outside looking smug. "Having trouble?" he said

"He's just a bit hesitant, that's all," said Chip, "He knows he'll have to behave to be able to stay at that party."

"NO, I'M NOT...SMEG OFF AND TAKE YOUR TAPES WITH YOU!" yelled Matt from his room.

Draco winced. "I swear his hearing got better since he got that amulet on Avalar," he said.

"Probably has," said Chip, "This will take more preparation than I thought."

Matt walked out, ion blade in hand. "I'm trying to sleep so I will actually have tolerance for the other people at this damn auction. Either let me sleep or I will slice you both up into salami slices and then I will sleep," he said threateningly.

The two of them walked Matt walk by before Draco started laughing. "You'll never win that bet," he said, "You might as well get your butler's outfit on right now."

…

Jade had been told about the plan. It was laughably simple. Jade would impersonate Anya, Chip faking her conformation message to the Romanov clan-member in charge. Matt and company would be her hired security.

"So, this Anya, how different is she from me?" asked Jade.

"She's a bloodthirsty insane space pirate who has been hiding for the last 200 years in the hope that the NSC and Combine would stop trying to kill her," said Matt, simply.

"Uh, so I act as mean and nasty as possible?' asked Jade.

"More or less," said Matt.

Techo said cheerfully, "Imagine everyone is a cockroach."

"Ok, so I won't have to act as a lady at all?" asked Jade.

"I wouldn't try that," said Chip, "I'm not sure how cultured the other attendees are, but they'll pounce on any chance they can get. Remember, if you goof up once, you're dead."

Matt looked at Chip. "I really doubt this is gonna be very posh. I have heard rumors about these. According to the ad, it said any fighting would be met with a 'permanent solution'," he said.

"Which is why you especially need to get in shape," said Chip.

"I can take any of those guys...but I won't. I'll just annoy them till they shoot at me and are turned into colanders by Romanov security," said Matt, with a grin.

Techo said, "We're ready to go, we're just waiting for Chloe and Jackie."

Chip thought for a moment and said, "You know what would be more effective; infuriating everyone by acting so polite and they can get frustrated trying to provoke you into violence."

Matt said, "Draco told me about the bet. If you both keep at this, I'm going to blow you both up."

That effectively shut Chip but he did hiss at Draco, "Cheater."

"Although, I did suspect before he reported when my Judge Dredd comics were replaced with the entire works of Shakespeare," said Matt.

The others gave Chip an odd look. "What?" he said, "Everyone ought to know at least some of the work of the Master Bard."

"The comics better turn up," said Matt, glaring. Chloe came into view at that, luckily preventing the conversation eventually arriving at violence. What was surprising was that Drago was in tow. "Why is that guy here?" said Matt darkly.

"Well, Anya had an extra invitation reserved for her date and we need someone to stand in for him," said Chloe.

"And bringing that guy along was your best idea?" asked Matt.

Drago grinned nastily and said, "You expecting Prince Charming?"

"Don't worry, Matt,, I've got him collared," said Chloe, pointing on a technological collar on Drago's neck before holding up a remote control and hitting the button on it.

Drago winced as the collar buzzed. "Ow!" he said.

"It'll automatically turn on when your thoughts turn to violence or profanity," said Chloe.

"Son of a- Ow!" cried Drago.

"And also perversions of a sexual nature," said Chloe.

There was a brief pause before the collar buzzed and Drago said, "Ow!"

Matt took the control and began giggling before tapping the button every few seconds saying, "Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy."

Techo said weakly to Jade, "You think we should stop him?"

"That depends, who wants to take the control?" asked Jade.

By now, Matt was laughing insanely and holding the button down, Chloe trying to pull the controller off him. "You know, it's only a matter of time before Drago-" stared Chip before Drago fell onto the ground twitching. "Whoa, less time than I thought," said Chip.

Drago managed to say "I-I-I-I-I h-h-h-h-hate-e-e-e you-u-u-u-u…" juddering until Chloe hit Matt and turned the controller off.

Just then, Jackie walked in. "Our flight will be ready in- BWAH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HIM?" he shouted when he saw the convulsing Drago on the ground.

"Hehehe...revenge is a tazer cuff," said Matt.

Chloe sighed, "Matt got his hands on the tazer control. I got it back."

Jackie stared at the half-baked Drago and said, "I never thought I would feel sorry for that guy."

Matt shook his head, "No, no, no...if you're gonna pass as a member of the crew, never feel sympathy for evil people," he said, adding, "I like to think of villain torture as a job perk." Jackie slowly backed a few paces away from Matt.

Chloe sighed. "You'll be fine, Jackie. Nobody'll know you and we have enough reputation that nobody'll try anything either," she said.

…

On the flight, Drago had insisted on some peace and quiet to meditate. While Matt and his crew had enjoyed torturing him, his meditation had been respected. What they hadn't known was the reason Drago had been meditating...

_On a plain slightly above that of the mortal perception, Drago was using his fire demon chi to contact the only other fire demon on the planet. "How goes your corrupting?" asked Shendu._

_"Difficult. They trust me about as much as I could expect. The chi wizard and that dragon thing sit in on every 'lesson'," said Drago, in an annoyed tone._

_"That is to be expected," said Shendu, "But have you been able to work something in?"_

_"A little...but not even close to enough," said Drago, "Now they placed some kind of collar on me. Your ex-apprentice enjoyed testing it."_

_Shendu chuckled a little and said, "Well, perhaps it's time you try your alternative form of corruption."_

_"You mean...I have to do a chi infusion? And how would I do that without being shot and blasted with light chi?" said Draco sarcastically._

_"Get the two of you alone someplace, distract the others so they aren't paying attention," said Shendu._

_"And maybe I'll turn lead into gold while I'm at it," said Drago sarcastically._

_"I am certain an opportunity will present itself," said Shendu, "Would you rather that she free the rest of the Celestials?"_

_Drago glared. "Of course not. Neither of us would last very long if they were released," he said._

_"Then you must be able to corrupt her before they remove the necklace. If she falls before that, the necklace's true power will be useless," said Shendu._

_"Fine," growled Drago._

…

It was night when the dropship flew over the post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans. The area they were flying over had not had its electricity recovered yet so the dropship was unnoticed. It also meant that the area they were headed for was easily seen.

An old plantation that had been abandoned years ago was visibly lit up. So who are they renting this mansion from anyways?" asked Chris.

"Probably hacked the estate archives...or brought it. Romanov clan's pretty rich...even by Nullspace standards," said Techo. Suddenly a manta-shaped drone materialized next to the dropship, shining a light inside. "Whoever's in charge is not sparing coin. 'Air Cutter' drones aren't cheap." The drones led the way down behind the plantation walls where several other ships were parked.

"You didn't see any with an Eye of XANA on them, did you?" asked Chip.

"Chip, I'm pretty sure Mantichrome wouldn't have been able to sneak some-" started Matt when he looked at Chip. Chip was dressed up in a tailor-made tuxedo, completely with top hat, cane, and monocle. He didn't have pants on because of his four spider-like legs.

"What the smeg is that?" said Matt, dully, hand over his eyes in exasperation.

"What, you think I'd ignore the chance to go to a fancy party?" asked Chip.

Matt took the monocle and looked at it. "This isn't even a monocle, it's just a magnifying glass with the handle removed," he said.

"Well, you try finding an optometrist that makes monocles in size 30," said Chip.

The dropship settled down and Matt said, "Lose the suit, for heaven's sake."

The hatch lowered and several spotlights from a trio of drones. Matt and Chloe looked at the walls grimly using their dragon eyes and saw several figures with AR-12 rifles holding steady aim. They remembered in time to let Jade take the lead. Drago was about to join her when Matt grabbed his shoulder. "Try anything and those snipers won't kill you before I do," he said coldly.

"Oh don't worry, I won't cause a stir," said Drago, "I'll leave that up to you."

Matt glared and only the presence of the snipers and drones stopped him. They turned to see an apparent human in combat fatigues, flanked by two battle armor equipped splitters walk forward. "Madam Anya. I am so happy you finally accepted my invite. I am Dmitri Romanov."

"Well, you know dragonpox, can't predict where they pop up next," said Jade.

"Of course. It can be such a pain...ever since the NSC opened the Dragon Eye Nebula wormhole. I see you choose the best security as always. I hear that Mr. Lynch's team is the best," said Dmitri, without apparent sarcasm before he looked at Drago. "Ah...your latest interest, I see..." he said.

"Er, yes, he's such a rogue," said Jade, trying her best to give a loving smile.

"Well...do try to not get tired of him this time around. Blood does stain," said Dmitri, cheerfully. Drago actually gulped a bit at this.

Matt cleared his throat a bit and asked, "Are there any more guests that have yet to arrive or are we the last ones?"

"The Combine representative arrived shortly before you did. There is just one more guest to arrive," said Dmitri, ignoring Matt to address Jade. At his words, a small ship flew overhead, looking like it had a small pyramid driving out its top before landing. The doors opened and four figures walked out. Matt went wide eyed as he recognized the leader and took a few steps forward in anger.

Chip grabbed Matt's leg and said, "Ah, ah, ah, remember the snipers."

The figure walked into view, revealing what looked like a regular bunch of humans to the Chans. Dmitri however looked between Matt and Taleth. "I must remind you both. I will not accept violence at this meeting," he said coolly.

Matt just snarled and bared fangs. He probably would have done something to blow it if Chip hadn't zapped him.

Taleth in contrast just smiled. "Of course. Miss Anya, you should research your help better...so you don't hire novices and their pet...freaks," he said, before nodding to the figures next to him. "This is my second, Seleni, my comm. officer, Janeth and my newest member, Kai. I believe she and Mr. Lynch are acquainted."

Chip had to intensify the amount of viral energy he pumped into Matt's leg to prevent Matt from leaping at Taleth. The others were all gripping weapons, dark glares on their faces.

Taleth just smirked. "Like I said...so highly strung. Come, my dears...Janeth," he said, turning to leave.

Dmitri actually said something at this. "Mr. Taleth. I may have given orders to shoot the starters of fights, but I will not accept this...feeble attempt to bait visitors," he said, adding, "Do I make myself clear?"

Taleth's tone turned a bit more serious and he said, "Understood." As the four of them passed by, Kai gave Matt a flirting wink.

Chloe and Jackie grabbed Matt at this as he growled. At the same time two red dots appeared on Matt's chest. Dmitri just sighed. "Miss Anya. Please keep your security in check otherwise my staff will be forced to take steps," he said before walking off, his guards following him.

Jade turned and glared at Matt. "You will behave at this meeting, grunt, or you will find out just how unpleasant it is in a space worm nest when we get back," she barked before adding in a whisper, "Sorry, but I have to make it look good."

Matt shrugged. "I hear worse," he said truthfully, not really bothered.

The main building was lit up and voices could be heard inside it. Chip straightened his bowtie and said, "Well, let's go rub elbows with the upper crust of the galactic underworld."

The doors were flanked by two splitters in human form, one opening the door and nodding his head respectfully to Jade. The first thing that Matt noticed was how the voices stopped when Chip walked in. The second thing he noticed was the severe lack of any tuxedo's. The only thing even close was a human in a Combine military uniform, flanked by 4 Overwatch troopers.

"Erm, evening all," said Chip, looking rather sheepish.

"What the hell is that?" said a voice in the back of the crowd.

There were also a few sniggers and a voice answered, "Little tincan thinks he's 007." Matt looked to see Dmitri failing in an attempt not to laugh.

Chip walked off towards the refreshments and muttered, "When I get my company off the ground, we'll see who'll be laughing." This did not seem likely. Matt noticed at least two known Marauder clan captains, a team from the Combine merc group, XenoClaw Security, and a group from Black 13 PMC.

Then Matt heard a ringing laughter which both caused his heart to flutter and put a fire in his stomach. He turned to see Kai hanging on to the arm of Taleth and laughing at a comment he apparently made.

Taleth and Kai turned to look in his direction before Kai walked over, apparently to get one of the drinks from the table. Matt grabbed a couple of drinks as an excuse and turned to walk away before Kai could say anything.

Before Matt could get back to 'Anya', a familiar voice said, "Well, well, if it isn't my old playmate."

Matt turned and mentally reminded himself that he wasn't talking to Kala, despite the voice. "Kai," he said coolly without turning.

"So have things been since I was gone?" asked Kai, "I bet your bed's been feeling pretty vacant."

Matt glared and said, "You mean since you hijacked Kala. Fine, you nearly brought the apocalypse to Avalar but apart from that."

"Oh yes, I heard about that," said Kai, "Heard the Dark Ones nearly punched your ticket."

Matt somehow managed to keep his voice from shaking from sheer rage. "You nearly wiped out an entire civilization. Does that mean anything to you?" he said in a casual voice. He still refused to look at her.

"Mmm...not really," said Kai, "You wanna hear about how life is like with the Shar-Virk?"

"Like how I'd like a railgun round in my face," said Matt, simply.

"Well, you may be interested to know that I've nearly placed myself at the top of the pecking order," said Kai, "There's still that old crow Seleni to deal with, but I'm sure Taleth wouldn't miss her."

Matt did turn this time to see Kai was grinning sadistically. "You know...very soon...there won't be security around...at least not near enough..." he said, angrily.

"Oh, you don't wanna hurt me," said Kai, "Taleth's my primary objective, but that doesn't mean I don't have room for one more." She fingered the plunging neckline of the dress she was wearing.

Matt's gaze could not have gotten darker. "You are not Kala...get away from me," he said angrily.

Kai sighed and said, "You've always been a party pooper, even at actual parties. Well, I hope to see you again...really soon..." She gave him a flirting wink and walked away.

In a way, Matt congratulated himself for controlling his temper. On the other hand, not only were the drinks in his hands evaporated, but the glasses they were in were partially melted. Matt vaporized the last of the glasses he was holding and picked up some fresh ones, picking fruit juice for Jade. With Taleth and his buds at the party, he wanted her to have a clear head...that and she only looked like an adult.

On the way back, he spotted Chip, who was looking as disgruntled as he was. "We all told you this was not a tuxedo type of party." said Matt.

"Well, yes, but you should expect to be some class," said Chip, "Otherwise, Dmitri may as well have a multicolored disco ball and girls dancing in cages, whatever people would want that for."

"They probably wouldn't go for that either. The kinda people here are...well...gun nuts. Imagine hundreds of me," said Matt, trying to find a suitable example.

"Then he may as well have a shooting range," said Chip.

"He does. I saw it on the way in," said Matt.

Matt walked on further to where Jade, Jackie (who was looking quite uncomfortable) and Drago. "How are you enjoying the party?" he said quietly.

"Well," said Jackie, "There are a lot of seedy-looking people around here. Are most of them even human?"

"Probably...do you mean are any of them alien or are most of them mostly human?" said Matt.

Jackie was a little lost for words at that, so Jade decided to make her opinion, "This party's kinda boring. All they're doing is standing around and talking."

"Well...you wouldn't want it interesting. Most of these guys want to kill each other...and you see that guy with the masked dudes? He's from the Combine...and apparently your alter ego's so popular there they wanna take you to tour their prisons," said Matt.

"Oh, ok..." said Jade, before taking a sip from her glass, "Well, shouldn't they have music playing?"

"Not really. For a start, how long do you think NOPD would last if they responded to a loud music complaint HERE?" said Matt.

"Not to mention some of your musical preferences are...questionable," said a voice. The small group turned to see the Combine officer and his bodyguards.

"Miss Anya, I haven't seen you since you raided Anchella 3 colony last year. You were quite masterful in avoiding our security response," said the Combine officer before bowing, "I doubt you had time to note my name, Justice Officer Gardace," to his credit not reacting when Matt muttered 'smug git' in splitter.

Jade was about to greet Gardace in a friendly matter, but she remembered Matt's advice of acting superior. She made a slightly haughty sniff and said, "Well, when you're robbing people blind, you don't have time to stop and check nametags."

The Combine officer smiled, "Yes...you forget faces too, it seems." Matt gulped. If the cover was blown, it could only end badly.

Jade paused for a moment and said, "Well, during one of my later pilfers, I got knocked on the head a bit. It probably flushed out less-than-worthy memories."

"Yes...quite a hazard. Well, Dmitri's neutrality will only last till the auction is over. Maybe we will have a chance for a rematch. You'll be pleased to know that you were upgraded to 'Shoot on Sight'. Is your bodyguard ok?" said Gardace as Jackie looked like he was having a heart attack.

Jade glanced at Jackie and said, "I hired some local flesh for a bit of variety. Poor fool is barely able to grip the idea there is life on other worlds."

"Just like you...flaunting the NSC's 'No interference' rule," said Gardace, before looking at Matt, "At least you hired some skill to make up for it," before walking off.

Drago said, "Wow...and I thought Uncle Tso Lan was full of himself."

Jade gave a sigh of relief and asked, "How was my acting?"

"Pretty good," said Matt.

Behind him, Dmitri had walked onto a small stage. "Ladies, gentleman and fellow sentients. It is a pleasure to welcome you to this auction. We will be starting shortly but first, some ground rules. Access to the nearby city for any reason is restricted," said Dmitri, to a chorus of boo's from some of the audience, mainly the marauders.

"Second off is no shooting anyone, or stabbing, blasting, strangling, or... What was that last term? Ah, yes, 'spiking the punch', though I'm sure that any knuckledusters will not likely be on your persons.

"Finally, I know almost all of you have a bounty on your heads for one reason or another. Anyone trying to cash them in will be dealt with in a very permanent matter," said Dmitri.

A marauder said, "Who's gonna stop us?"

Dmitri smirked and allowed a very large splitter about Gantu-size to walk in wearing combat endo-armor. "This is my head of security, Vek. Are we clear?"

Jackie just stared up at Vek. "Whoa, I didn't think they can be that big," said Jade.

Dmitri continued, "If you do feel an urge to abuse my hospitality, Vek and his dedicated staff will be happy to...explain the rules one VERY final time." Vek's expression said very clearly that he would enjoy doing some 'explaining'. "Other than that, enjoy your time here," said Dmitri.

The same marauder that had voiced his opinion still did not seem impressed. "Yeah? He doesn't look so tough," he said drawing an old mouser pistol. Vek also didn't seem to be into warnings, simply firing a pulse blast into the marauder's chest.

Dimitri had not even twitched and said, "Like I said...enjoy your stay."

"Where'd he pick up that guy? The Horsehead Nebula?" asked Jade.

"The splitters don't say where they come from but they live all over Nullspace. Where he got that guy I have no idea," said Chloe.

…

A little while after that, one of Dmitri's men escorted 'Anya' and her bodyguards to the rooms they'll be staying in.

"Ok...we just get this item then we make up some excuse to leg it," said Chloe. Matt reluctantly pulled out a small chip. "This is a credit chip...20 mill...that's as far as we can go," he said, passing it to Jade.

"Ooh..." said Jade, "Can I use it to-"

"No," said Matt.

"You didn't even let me finish," said Jade.

"You're a preteen girl trapped in an adult body. Tail or not, I know you'll want to waste it on a shopping spree," said Matt.

Jackie however pointed out a flaw, "What if someone else buys the unicorn horn?"

The two Lynches fell silent at this flaw. It was Drago who actually voiced the obvious and only answer. "Well, you'll have to steal it then..." he said smugly before twitching as Matt used this as a feeble excuse to shock collar him.

"Well, if worse comes to worse, we might," said Chloe, "But who else would want a unicorn horn that badly?"

"I dunno..." said Matt.

Drago said, "You'd be surprised how many spells call for it," earning another shock from Matt who yelled "Quiet, you!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. When he opened it, it was one of Dmitri's henchmen.

"I WASN'T TURNING THE POWER UP TO MAX TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS! YOU CAN PROVE NOTHING!" screamed Matt as the door opened.

A confused gecko-like splitter was standing there. "Say what?" he said in a Californian accent.

Um, nothing, what do you want?" demanded Matt.

"Well, it's about that six-armed robot in the tux you brought with you," said the splitter.

"What about him?" said Matt.

Drago, who was in a bad mood and gently smoking, said, "Did someone try to see if he contained beans or hotdogs?" only for Matt to shock him again.

"Actually, another guy was kinda interested in it and wondered how much he's worth," said the splitter.

Matt said simply, "Tell him to bugger off." The splitter was confused to why Chloe reacted so angrily to a simple swear. It wasn't like there was a kid in the room.

Matt closed the door on that guy and said, "Really, the nerve of some people." There was a knock on the door again and Matt opened it, yelling "CHIP'S NOT FOR SALE!"

"Excuse me?" said the splitter on the other side. He looked a lot older than the other splitters Matt had seen and apparently was suffering from albinism. The cloak he wore indicated he was an upper-class man. "This isn't my room?" he asked.

"No...go away," said Matt and tried to slam the door.

The splitter stopped the door with one hand. "In my day, people respected their elders," grumbled the splitter.

"Matt, don't you think you should be a bit more polite?" asked Jackie.

Matt looked at the splitter's pinkish eyes. "Do I know you?" he said suspiciously.

The splitter looked panicky and said, "No...why do you ask?"

"Matt, he's an old codger," said Chloe, "I don't think he's a big threat."

"So was Ghoulwyrm, on both counts: an old guy...and a complete joke," said Matt, he and Chloe laughing. Matt opened the door to let the splitter in, but sadly closed the door too fast. The door slammed on the splitter's tail, causing him to cry out in pain. "Oops, sorry," said Matt. To add to injury, when Matt threw the door open to help the splitter, it slammed into the splitter's face. Matt helped him up. "Are you ok?" he said.

The splitter said dizzily, "Mary had a tasty lamb...bleeh."

"Matt! Where's your respect for elders?" demanded Jackie, "Would you like some tea?" He was bringing the old splitter a cup when his foot caught on a snag in the carpet, causing him to trip and splash the splitter with hot tea.

The splitter yelped and banged his head on the wall before knocking himself out. "Hmm...A sleep'll probably do him good actually," said Matt innocently.

"So what now?" asked Jade, "We just wait until the auction?"

"That'll be in an hour," said Chloe, holding up the torn out page from _Nefarious Weekly_, "There's supposed to a spot open for dancing in the old ballroom before the actual auction starts."

"Hmm...all my mercenary rivals...AND my Combine opposite numbers dancing like idiots. Can someone say 'blackmail'?" said Matt evilly.

Chloe shared the grin and said, "I packed a holocamera."

"Uh, I'm not sure that's a good idea," said Jackie as he went after the Lynches.

Jade yawned and said, "If it's gonna be an hour from now, I'm gonna sleep so I won't nod off during the auction. She glared at Drago and said, "Try anything and the shock collar will be the least of your problems."

Drago gulped a bit. He couldn't remember if Matt had turned the charge down from Maximum. A minute after Jade had fallen asleep, the Splitter elder said weakly, "Are we alone?"

"Yeah, for now, so how about you get back to your own room, old-timer?" said Drago.

"Dammit. What is wrong with those mercenaries? It's like they're designed by nature to cause grievous bodily harm," said the 'splitter' shimmering into his true form of Ghoulwyrm.

Drago stepped back and said, "Ghoulwyrm, what are you doing here?"

"I got an invitation from the Romanovs," said Ghoulwyrm, "I would have come as I am, but 15-foot floating undead wyverns stand out in a crowd."

Drago finished "...and everyone here wants a piece of you?" with a smirk.

Ghoulwyrm actually looked abit embarrassed. "Erm...maybe."

"Well, I guess I should include myself on the list, considering how you left me and Dad to- Ow!" cried Drago as the collar zapped him.

Ghoulwyrm actually laughed. "They collared you? Oh, this is rich," he said.

Drago glared and took a step forward. The collar beeped and a voice said "Maximum setting armed." Ghoulwyrm had a decency to say "Uh oh," as Drago grabbed him as the collar let loose a full 400,000 volts. It was also a good demonstration of how electricity conducts. Ghoulwyrm and Drago winced as they both got electrocuted. If they were human, they probably would have been killed. However, all they got was just a smoky aroma.

Ghouleyrm said weakly, "You should let go before the collar thinks I'm attached to it."

Drago said, "I think my arms were numbed by it."

Ghoulwyrm glared at Drago as the collar made a rising hum noise. "Words cannot describe my hatred for those mercs," he managed.

…

A passing guard noticed the bright light and smell of burning from Anya's room. "Space pirates...so highly strung," he said.

…

After another electrocution, the two villains fell onto the ground in exhaustion. "This better not mess up my ability to make disguises," grumbled Ghoulwyrm.

Drago glared. "I hate you so much. Is there a reason you came to see me beyond getting us reduced to ash?" he said sarcastically.

"Part of the reason I came was because of Matt," said Ghoulwyrm, "His ex-girlfriend's here and I want to make sure they don't hook back up."

"Oh, sure, that sounds like fun," said Drago sarcastically, "Meanwhile, I've got the hard job of corrupting Jade, without being reduce to a smoldering pile of ash afterwards."

Ghoulwyrm said sarcastically, "Gee...I can see how you could be stopped by that window."

Drago blinked and said, "You're right. This is my chance to infuse my fire demon chi with her."

Ghoulwyrm stepped back and conjured some sunglasses as the collar's simple VI voiced its counter-argument. "I think you may need help on this one."

"Gee, you really think you'll stay to help this time?" asked Drago sarcastically.

"Fine...it's not like those mercs are allowed to shoot me if I'm caught," said Ghoulwyrm smugly.

"What can you possibly do?" asked Drago, "Unless biting her on the neck automatically turns her evil."

"Nope...I have no wish to be blasted with celestial fire again," said Ghoulwyrm, "You do realize there's an easy way to turn that collar off...right?"

"What? What is it?" demanded Drago.

"Simple, you freeze and it'll short out," said Ghoulwyrm, "They're not built to withstand cold." Ghoulwyrm pulled an extinguisher off the wall. "You may hate me for this but you'll thank me later," he said and fired the ice cold Co2 mist into Drago's face.

"Ah! Cold, cold, cold!" yelled Drago. However, there was a powering-down hum from the collar.

Sadly, a side effect was to cause the power cell to discharge its remaining charge in one load. Ghoulwyrm watched for a minute until the cell blew out. "Hmm...didn't expect that," he said.

Drago winced and said, "Is it over?"

"Try one of those 'forbidden thoughts' and see," said Ghouwlyrm.

Drago thought about something and winced in expectation. However nothing happened.

"See? All take care o-" started Ghoulwyrm before Drago threw a fireball at his head.

Drago made a fist. "Yes...I've wanted to do that to you since you ditched me."

Ghoulwyrm rasped, "Feeling better?"

"Plenty, now if you don't mind, I've got an overgrown brat to corrupt," said Drago.

Ghoulwyrm, who had lived when the Celestials had arrived, sat back in his splitter form. Drago would not be the first to have tried and he could do with a laugh.

"You do that, I've got a lovelife to sabotage," said Ghoulwyrm, "Oh, and it's best that neither of us talk about this. Just say I woke back up and got pointed back to my own room.

Ghoulwyrm walked out and stopped a guard. "Hey...I think someone'll need an extinguisher in a second...in Miss Anya's room," he said and walked off, hearing a 'foom' noise from Jade's room. "Well, he didn't ask..." he said to himself.

…

Down in the ballroom, Matt and Chloe were drawing alot of glares that said that their lives would be considerably shortened once the auction was done...probably as Chloe had hooked up to a NSC tabloid site and was uploading the pictures Matt was taking.

"I really don't think this is polite," said Jackie.

"Polite, schmolite, this is fun," said Matt.

Chloe added, "Plus these guys steal our contracts," messing with Photoshop so a black 13 merc was in a pink tutu before posting it, "We're experts at non-violent fighting."

"All the same, isn't this stooping a little too low?" asked Jackie.

"We sold our self esteem years ago," said Matt, taking another picture, earning a cry of "FOR GOD'S SAKE, SOMEONE SHOOT THAT GUY!" from a Combine merc.

"I say, what are you three doing?" asked a voice behind them. They turned to see the elder splitter from before.

"Torpedoing our business competition," said Matt happily.

The old splitter looked at the camera and said, "In my day, we had a bit more pride in dealing with rivals."

"Oh, if I could, I'd shoot em all or slip red kryptonite into the jello to see what happened but I don't wanna be shot," said Matt, innocently.

The old splitter had a slightly crafty look on his face as he said, "Oh really? I don't think we've introduced ourselves. I am Rex Venet, you probably haven't heard of me. I'm a bit of a scholar."

"Never heard of you," said Matt before taking a picture of a Disperce International merc who lost it and lunged at him.

As the two of them brawled, Chloe said, "It's best to ignore half he says. I'm Chloe Lynch, that's my brother Matt. And this is Jackie Chan."

"Jackie Chan? The movie star?" asked Rex.

"Movie star?" asked Jackie.

"Oh, wrong dimension, never mind, sometimes I lose track of which world I'm in. Old mind's starting to weather away."

Vek and several troopers ran by to try and break up the fight, only succeeding in getting everyone else fighting as well. Unsurprisingly, the mercs had been bored.

"Erm, maybe we should continue this conversation where it's quieter!" shouted Chloe over the growing din.

The trio walked out, just in time as a small explosion was heard followed by someone, probably Vek, roaring, "NO EXPLOSIONS. BAD MERCENARY!"

"Are these mercenary events always like this?" asked Jackie.

"You should see the NSC Christmas party," said Chloe, "Brings a whole new meaning to a 'train wreck' party."

"So why weren't you out on the dance floor?" asked Rex.

"Two left feet, plus would you go out there right now?" said Chloe. The trio turned back to the dance room door's in time to see a mercenary fly through them.

"True," said Rex, "Though it's a shame that a nice young woman hasn't been able to find herself someone. Unless you two are..."

"Oh, no, we just know each other," said Jackie.

"Ah, I see," said Rex, "I suppose not everyone can be lucky with love, can they?"

Chloe grabbed Rex by the throat, "Don't go there."

"Ok, I see I've stepped on tender ground," said Rex, "Now would you mind putting me down? Don't want to end up displacing a bone." Chloe dropped Rex and walked off, a little thundercloud following her, thanks to her lightning powers.

Rex rubbed his throat and said, "You wouldn't happen to know what that was about, would you?"

"Not really," said Jackie, "I've only met her and her brother recently."

There was a sound that was unmistakably insane laughter courtesy of Matt. The two turned to see Matt being dragged out by Vek and one of his guards. "C'mon...go to sleep it off," grunted Vek, barely managing to get Matt along.

"I AM THE KING OF HUMILIATION!" shouted Matt.

Rex and Jackie looked at each other. "Ooook...I don't even want to know where that came from," said Rex, casually.

…

Meanwhile, Drago was looming over the sleeping form of Jade. He had been muttering dark Chinese words as he built up his mojo.

He was so intent on his work he didn't hear the doorknob turning. He did however feel the fork lightning blast him across the room. "Bad demon," said Chloe, in a bad mood before shaking Jade, "Wake up. Auction's gonna be starting once the fight's over."

Jade groaned and sat up. "What'd you wake me for?" she demanded.

"Wow, did we not sleep well? You don't need to act in character at the moment. The auction's being set up...and keep an eye of lizard lips. I think Matt's drained the battery on that collar. Sooner we solve this and change you back, the sooner we can throw him in the deepest pit we can find," said Chloe.

"I'm not so sure about that. Having dragon powers is awesome and being a grown-up totally beats a kid," said Jade, "No school, total respect, driving, cute boys..." She paused and said, "Whoa, where'd that thought come from?"

"Jade...remember the chat? You're still a kid in there. It took me and my brother ages to get the hang of our powers," said Chloe before the intercom said, "Would Lt Lynch please report to security? Your brother is trying to make a new door out of a cell wall."

Chloe sighed and said, "I don't have time for this. Just be there to buy that horn."

…

_Drago however was back on the limbo plain he used to communicate. "Well?" said Shendu._

_"Well, I couldn't infuse her with my chi directly," said Drago, "But I think I managed to boost her ego."_

_"Pride can be so corrupting," said Shendu in a pleased tone._

_"Yeah, but does it corrupt fast enough?" said Drago, "They're gonna get that unicorn horn soon and we need her to be resisting her transformation back."_

_"The Celestials prided themselves on being humble. It will work particularly fast. Especially combined with that particular Chan's personality," said Shendu, adding the last part darkly. _

_"True," said Drago, "By the way, I ran into Ghoulwyrm over here."_

"_And what did you do with him?" asked Shendu, a bit fire entering his voice._

_"I electrocuted him with my shock collar and then hit him with a fireball after he disabled it," said Drago._

_Shendu nodded. "Very well. Finish your task and do not fail."_

…

After the fighting has stopped, and the large and bloody mess was cleaned up, the Romanovs decided to move on with the auction. Matt had been let out of lockup though it was worth noticing that Vek and his teams were keeping a close eye on him. Chloe also noticed that Jade seemed to be getting into her role quite well, almost too good.

"Now that we have all...calmed down, we begin with item one..."

The various items, which tended to be either very rare plant samples or dismembered anatomy from mythical creatures, got a lot of high bids for them. Curiously, Rex Venet tended to buy some of the items that were known for their darker magic, such as suffering nightsbane or manticore stings (which are particularly hard to get).

The marauders however bidded heavily for the obviously stolen NSC weaponry such as the crates of PRS automatic laser rifles, in direct competition with the Combine officer.

Finally, Dmitri said, "And now our final lot, Item 66: A genuine unicorn horn recovered from D-434. Perfect for mentality toxins as well as magical lockpicking potions. Bidding starts at 15 million credits," said Dmitri.

"What? You call that a starting bid?" shouted Matt, "That's inordinate!"

"Nope...just business. Please keep bids to the actual representatives please. Anya, please control your security," said Dmitri smoothly.

Jade glared at Matt and snapped, "Hold your tongue, half-breed."

"Hey, who are you calling-" started Matt before Chloe clapped her hand over his mouth.

Jackie whispered over, "That was a bit harsh, Jade."

Jade glared back at Jackie and said, "I don't need any of your advice, human."

Matt leaned over. "Cool it, you'll blow our cover," he muttered, adding, "Just bid everything...usually shocks the competition into giving up."

Jade seemed annoyed about Matt giving her advice, but she stood up and declared, "I bid 20 million credits for the unicorn horn!"

Most of the other bidders, who had already drained their cred-chips on other purchases muttered before waiting. Matt thought it would go well till Taleth's voice was heard bidding, "21 million Credits."

"21 million credits, do I hear 22 million credits? 22 million credits? Going once, twice, sold for 21 million to credits to Mr. Taleth," called Dmitri.

As the horn was taken away, Dmitri asked, "Out of curiosity, what are your intentions with the horn? I don't recall you being the potion-brewer."

"Oh, I thought it would look nice hanging on my wall," said Taleth.

Matt finally lost it at that and pushed his way through the crowd to where Taleth was before punching him hard enough on the jaw to send him spinning across the floor. "YOU'RE DEAD MEAT, TALETH!" he yelled, lunging at him.

Dmitri's security promptly moved in to separate the two of them. It took considerable muscling to get between then and then several zaps from a stun stick were needed before Matt was more manageable. Matt's vision began to blur but he managed one more punch before saying, "You are...dead…" before slumping forward.

Dmitri however was advancing angrily on Jade. "Explain that outburst," he snarled, his personal hologram flickering as his rage caused static to gather

"I'm sure you're aware of Matt's personal history with Taleth," said Jade, "He requested I get him that horn for something he wanted, I don't recall or care what it was. Frankly, I don't think he deserves it from that show of poor sportsmanship right there."

"I do not care. This is twice now. Once more and steps will be taken...am I clear?" said Dmitri.

"Very clear," said Jade, "I have half a mind to do it myself and save you the trouble."

Chloe glared at the guards by Matt till they let her past. Picking her brother up she heard Taleth and his crew laughing to themselves and turned to glare darkly at them before helping her brother out the room.

…

After leaving Matt in his room she slammed her way into Jade's room. "Ok...what the hell was that about? I think that thing's going to your head," she said, pointing at the necklace.

"I don't think you're in any position to question me," said Jade, "I am a Celestial dragon, far above your mortal status."

Chloe glared. "That's it, kid. Mission's over. We're going back to Section 13 and as for gecko boy over there..." she said.

Jackie cleared his throat and said, "You do remember that we need the horn to remove that necklace, right?"

Chloe glared before looking at Drago. "Yeah...but we'll need your help, Jackie...and I don't trust him to be left on his own so..." she said before pulling out a stun laser she'd pick pocketed from one of Vek's guards and shooting Drago. Drago winced before falling like a stone.

"There. That ought to keep him out for the rest of the night without the antidote," said Chloe before looking at Jade. "You stay here. If we're caught...well, me and my brother are known for breaking rules...but there's alot of people here who want to see Anya dead," she said.

"Tch, whatever," said Jade, "I'm going to bed."

Ghoulwyrm was invisible in the corridor when he saw Chloe and Jackie head back to Matt's room to pick him up. "Hmm, it would seem that Drago's been able to boost her ego very nicely," said Ghoulwyrm, "But it still needs another push to take her over the edge."

Drago was already back up as Ghoulwyrm phased through the door. Naturally, the knockout toxin had been useless. "There you are..." he said annoyed, given that while the toxin had not knocked him out, it had given him a headache.

"You're doing quite well," said Ghoulwyrm, "I must say I'm impressed with your progress."

"It just needs a few chi finishing touches," said Drago, smugly.

…

Meanwhile, Matt had managed to come around, although he still had jelly-legs. He, Chloe, and Jackie were discussing the current situation. "What has gotten into Jade?" asked Matt, "She's being more stuck-up than Neilsson, and that's saying something."

"Maybe she's been method-acting," said Jackie.

"Nobody acts that good. I think it was a good idea that Chloe sent Drago to sleepy-land for a few hours and the sooner that thing's off, the better for us all," said Matt.

They stopped to see two of Vek's guards blocking the way to the wing where Taleth n co were. "Sorry. Dmitri's orders. You're not allowed near Taleth without security approval," said one of them.

Matt forcibly put his face into a smile, which seemed more like a grimace. "Fare enough," he said through gritted teeth. When the group walked away, Matt dropped the fake smile and said, "Ok, time for Plan B."

Chloe nodded and they walked back. The guards watched as they walked up. The same guard spoke a bit more rudely this time. "Hey...your helmet cutting off blood to your ears? I said access..." he began before Matt grabbed him and pushed his face into the wall. His fellow fumbled for his radio before Chloe shot him with the stun dart gun.

Just then, Chip walked by, looking almost as irked as Matt had been. "This has been the most degrading night of my life," he grumbled, "Not only couldn't I find any person to have an intelligent conversation with, but everyone treats me like I'm a- What are you guys doing?"

"Breaking and entering," said Matt, melting the lock with plasma control.

Chip looked at Jackie, "You're letting them do this? You have no idea what their idea of 'stealth' is...do you?"

"We've lost the auction," said Jackie, "I don't like it, but the only way to get the unicorn horn we need is to take it."

"We're in," said Matt, and opened the door to see a half-asleep Janeth in front of him, having probably only gotten up for a drink.

Janeth was probably drowsier then they realized when he muttered, "Ah, room service, I'll have a glass of Monticello."

Matt nodded and brought his fist down on Janeth's head. "Nah...you need some punch," he said, unable to resist.

Janeth toppled over onto the floor. Chip looked down at him and said, "You know Romanov's gonna have your hide over this."

"Do you disapprove?" asked Chloe.

"Heck no, I want out of this half-ass facsimile of a cultured party," said Chip, "But first I need to change out of my tux. Dry-cleaning, you know."

…

It turns out that Taleth was more into magic than Dmitri had thought, since he, Seleni, and Kai were huddled around a bubbling cauldron.

Kai said, "Will this work? I am sick to death of her. She won't stop whining.

Seleni added, "Or trying to take back control. She nearly killed me the last time."

"Well, thanks to the alicorn we've just got, I'm sure we'll be able to silence for good this time," said Taleth.

"I hope so...she always interrupts at the most inconvenient moments," said Kai.

"In a way, I'm glad she does," said Seleni under her breath.

Then Kai stretched and said, "Well, I'm going to hop in the shower now. I want to look my best when I assume permanent control of this body."

Seleni snarled as Kai walked past her. "I do not know why you tolerate her," she said to Taleth.

"Oh, she has many perks," said Taleth, "Not to mention that as long as we have her, we have a grip on Lynch."

"I doubt it. If anything it's made him more likely to try to kill us all," said Seleni, bitterly.

"Perhaps," said Taleth, "But it could prove beneficial to persuade Draconus to join us."

"Pah...the little hussy will just be a drain on our supplies. Not to mention, the last time we had Draconus within reach, we lost our ship," said Seleni.

"Seleni, is that the tone of jealousy in your voice?" teased Taleth.

Seleni snarled, "We were doing perfectly well before we ran across her."

…

Meanwhile, Matt n company were hiding outside Taleth's room. "I don't think melting the lock'll work this time," whispered Matt.

"Maybe I can pick the lock," said Chip, "I've got pretty thin fingers."

"I don't think that'll work either. They'll hear it. Dragons have good hearing," said Chloe.

"Then we'll need another entrance," said Jackie. He looked around and spotted an air vent. "There," he said pointing.

"You're kidding," said Chip, "You have idea how filthy it would be in there?"

"I'm gonna fly round and go in the bathroom. Nobody'll be in there this late and I can sneak up on them and knock them out," said Matt, opening a window and climbing out onto the ledge.

"Uh, Matt, I'm not sure that..." said Chloe before Matt already sprouted wings and flapped off. Chloe sighed. "On the bright side, we'll have a distraction in, ooooh...20 seconds. Here, I'll give you a hand up...oh," she said as Jackie nimbly jumped up to the vent. "Show off," she muttered.

"If you I'm going up there, you've got another thing-" stared Chip before Chloe picked him up, "Uh, did I mention that I would as much racket as a horse on cobblestones in there?"

Chloe said, "This may tingle," and then pointed her wrist comp's storage laser at him.

…

Matt carefully glided round the corner of the building and latched onto the ledge under the bathroom window before carefully opening it and climbing into the darkened room. Sadly, he was next to the door when it was flung open.

Matt was knocked partially senseless by the blow, though he was aware of a female voice in the room. Kai was singing something in draconic to herself apparently. Sadly, as Matt's brain was currently crushed into the wall behind him, he was busy trying to make his eyeballs look in the same direction and not spin around. Eventually, Matt put it through his head to move the door so it would allow appropriate blood flow to his head.

Kai had not gotten undressed yet...if you could call a towel dressed. Matt's brain immediately tried to crash, although Draconus voiced that maybe waiting a few minutes longer would be interesting. Matt managed to get past this and sneaked up before getting Kai in a headlock. "Not a word," he whispered coldly.

Of course, the shock of being caught in a headlock in a bathroom, particularly when all you're wearing is a bath towel, is overpowering for even the most steel-minded individual. This of course meant that Kai had no time for any witty comebacks and went for the classic surprised scream, which Matt managed to cut off.

"You more or less killed the person I most care about. If you wanna make another noise make sure it's good. It'll be your last," said Matt coldly. He hadn't felt this cruel since the time he had spent searching for Chloe alone.

Kai's eyes seemed to be unfocused for a moment before she started making desperate hand signals. Matt glared before releasing some of the pressure on Kai's windpipe. "Matt, it's me," said 'Kai' in a completely different tone.

Matt immediately got angry. "That's low...even for you," he said.

"Matt, could you put your head down a little further?" asked 'Kai'.

"Why should-" started Matt before 'Kai' grabbed the back of his head, pulled him down, and planted a kiss on his lips. Matt went wide-eyed for a second before kissing her back.

Draconus however finally reminded him of the situation. _'Be it out of my character to be the voice of reason...but nutcases next door with dragon hearing,'_ he said to Matt's thoughts.

Matt sighed, "Kala? I thought..."

"Well, you gave Kai a pretty big fright and it gave me enough leverage to get back on top," said Kala, "Erm, speaking of which, do you mind..."

Matt immediately spun to face the wall, blushing a bit as Kala used her own wrist comp to get her battle gear back on.

"Well, great to have you back," said Matt.

"Might not be for long," said Kala, "Kai will recover from that shock and she'll want to get out again."

Matt said, "There's got to be something we can do. I can get an inhibitor."

"Probably, but we don't have that much time," said Kala.

Matt pushed the door open a crack, not noticing when Kala went a bit bug eyed for a second. "So...what's Captain Loony tune up to with all the garlic?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" said 'Kala' in a different voice.

Matt gulped. "Oh crap," he said before turning, "Kai...would you be offended if I told you to piss off and get out of my girlfriend's head?"

"Probably, but I'm a little more irked that you've caught me in a bath towel," said Kai.

"Ok...piss off and get out my girlfriend's head, you psycho," said Matt.

…

Taleth and Seleni looked over in only mild surprise as Matt flew through the bathroom door with a crash. "Mr. Lynch. I had a bet going to see how long before you tried to steal this horn from me. I won," he said in a bored tone.

"Yeah, that's not too surprising," said Matt.

Kai strolled out behind Matt and got him in a headlock. "You know...you really are too annoying to leave alive," she said.

"Hang on a minute, Kai," said Taleth, "I have other plans for him."

Kai looked disappointed before bashing Matt's head against the floor.

The others were in the vent above, Jackie and Chip both trying to hold Chloe back and keep her quiet too, not helped that she had decided her dragon form would fit better, meaning she was harder to hold down.

"Chloe, please, it's not going to help if you fly off the handle," said Chip, "Plus, you're squishing me."

Chloe calmed down enough for her eyes to stop glowing and listened. Taleth had gotten up with a vial of whatever he had brewed. "Do you like it, Mr. Lynch? It's called Psychothrope Toxin. The Atlanteans used it to remove split personalities by literally poisoning the dormant side," he said

"And I suppose you want me to swallow it," said Matt, "I hate to disappoint you, but that would just get Draconus, not me."

"Who said it was for you at first? I think Miss Kai would love a little taste, wouldn't you, my dear?" said Taleth. Seleni smirked and held Matt down as he tried to get up and remove various vital parts of Taleth.

"Ok, I think we need to do something now," said Jackie.

"Without alerting the whole building we're here would be nice," said Chip.

Jackie looked around for something he could use when he spotted a mouse nibbling on a stolen piece of cracker. Jackie neatly and gently grabbed the mouse and aimed it at Kai who was standing in front of Matt, taunting him before throwing it so it landed neatly on her head.

Kai felt the mouse land, but didn't really do anything until after the mouse scurried down her head and onto her shoulder. The others had also seen this and had dumbfounded expressions of shock. "What...what is that...?" she said, her voice slowly vanishing as she and the mouse looked at each other. Chloe and Jackie were forced to cover their ears as the scream caused a mirror to break.

"I thought feminine misophobia was supposed to be a myth," said Chip, whose eye has cracked slightly.

"I can't feel my ears," whimpered Chloe, paws on her head.

Taleth picked up the mouse and threw it into the corner where it scuttled off. "Right...now we're all deafened for life...please drink the toxin," said Taleth.

"Um, sure, ok," said Kai in a shaky voice.

Matt said urgently, "No...please...I'll do...I'll do anything...just don't," he said in a defeated voice only for Kai to down the vial to his horror. Kai winced and clutched her head in pain.

Taleth gave Matt a wicked smile. "You've lost, Lynch. Kai is mine now and you will never see Kala again. Of course, if you agree to submit to your Shar-Virk side, I might be persuaded to let you two be together."

Matt glared. "I'm gonna rip your throat out personally," he said in almost a hiss.

Taleth sighed, "Have it your own way," and changed his hand to claws.

Kai however said, "Wait," in an urgent voice.

Taleth turned to Kai and asked, "Is there something you'd like to add?"

"I'd...like the honor if you please," Kai said.

Taleth nodded and stood aside. "Be my guest," he said.

Kai grabbed Matt and pulled him upright and to Matt's surprise, winked at him. "Well, I have been telling you for weeks to give a rest and to knock it off. But you kept prattling on and on and I can't stand it anymore. So I'm going to do deal with your insistent and irritating persuasion attempts once and for all," said Kai as she formed a flaming ball of energy in her hand. Once it was at full power, she pulled her arm back and threw it over Matt's head and right at Taleth.

Taleth managed to say "What the fu..." before the fireball carried him across the room and through the wall.

Seleni was knocked over by the blast and as such got a good look at the vent inhabitants. "GYARH!" she roared, venting her frustration in a blast of her acid at the vent cover...and through it. However, that backfired somewhat when it caused the vent that Chloe, Chip, and Jackie were in to collapse and they fell through on top of Seleni.

The trio managed to get up just before Seleni transformed to half dragon and blew the vent section off. Several klaxons were now wailing loudly and several people could be heard yelling in the distance, followed by shooting.

Jackie grabbed the unicorn horn and started running for the door, calling, "Sorry, I won't be bringing this back, thank you!"

Seleni snarled angrily and ran after him. "Come back here!" she snarled, trying to grab him. However, she tripped over Janeth, whom the gang had left in the doorway and quite frankly forgotten. She was sadly going too fast and ended up rolling head over heels down the hallway to end up upside down against a corner.

Matt turned to look at 'Kai' and said, "Kala, right?"

Kala nodded. "Who knew Kai was afraid of mice," she said with a shrug.

"Well, we were out of centipedes," joked Chloe.

"I'm the one afraid of centipedes, not Kai," said Kala.

"Where'd Taleth go?" asked Chip. The four of them walked over to the hole in the wall. By sheer coincidence, it appeared that Taleth's room was right next to Dmitri's and Taleth had been thrown onto the same bed that Dmitri was currently in. His collision with the headboard had knocked him out.

Very fortunately, Dmitri also got hit on the head and was happily out of focus. "It's the glando fairies, Mr. Flibble," he said dizzily, apparently thinking the unconscious and half-burnt Taleth was some kind of childhood toy.

"Uh, let's leave before he wakes up," said Chip, "That's when the trouble will really start."

The trio ran out to see Jackie come running back yelling, "Bad day, bad day!" Three marauder reasons came round the corner, chasing him.

Matt sighed and said, "So much for a quiet night." The marauders stopped just in time to be sent down a floor as Matt, Kala, and Chloe blasted the floor at their feet.

"Ok, now that the whole place is waking up, let's grab Jade and Drago and split before the guns start pointing at us," said Chip.

…

Meanwhile, some guns were already heading for Jade. The combine trooper pushed the dead security guard down and waved his team to move up. Gardace was at their head. The security alert had proved perfect to make an attempt to end Anya once and for all.

"It's time we put that scaly wench in her place," said Gardace.

A trooper said in the classic helmet filtered voice, "Sir...magi energy levels spiking. It's coming from the target's room."

Meanwhile, in Jade's room, Ghoulwyrm was working his magic over the sleeping Jade.

Drago however was sure he could hear footsteps. "Hurry up. I think they're coming back." he said.

Ghoulwyrm paused for a minute and said, "No, I know those mercs' footsteps. Those aren't theirs."

"And I bet they're not coming to sell cookies," said Drago, "Can't you work faster?"

"Don't have to," said Ghoulwyrm, "Just need a few seconds and I'm done. Of course, she'll be a bit like a car at first. You need to keep her running on bad chi in order for it to keep going."

Outside, Gardace finally spoke. As much as it pained him, his superiors wanted Anya alive...for now. "Captain Anya Zafi. You are under arrest for crimes against the Combine Confederation. Cease what you are doing and surrender at once or face the consequences!" he called, nodding to his men to get into breaching positions.

Inside, he heard two voices speak, "You hear that? They want Anya to come out?"

"Well, I think she wants to play."

"Ghoulwyrm...I thought I recognized the magi signature. We have no quarrel with you. Surrender Anya and you'll get a share of the bounty," said Gardace, although he had no intention of honoring that, Ghoulwyrm's reward would be permanent incarceration on the Black Rock asteroid colony.

"You want Anya? Very well, she's all yours," said Ghoulwyrm's voice. Just then, dark fireballs shot through the door.

The troopers all ducked in unison to avoid the blasts before Gardace nodded to them. The team leader blew the doors hinges and his team aimed inside and managed to say 'Freeze!'

"Certainly," said Anya's voice before a blizzard suddenly appeared in the middle of the room.

Gardace managed to dive away from the doorway with two of his men. The others were not so lucky, frozen where they stood. Gardace looked past them to see Anya, her eyes glowing a bright red and a nasty smile was on her face. Gardace stared in horror before pushing his last two men forward, screaming. "SHOOT THEM!" He ran round the corner listening as the machinegun fire of his last men petered out.

He looked around the corner to see the last of his men dead on lying on the ground. But Anya and her 'comrades' have disappeared. He was turning back around when he saw Anya right in front of him. "Oh sh..." he managed before a fireball incinerated him to ash.

"Well, that was dull," said Jade as she wiped her hands clean, "How about a real challenge?"

Drago grinned. "I have just the annoying archeologist for you to practice on," he said.

…

The gang had plenty of motivation to keep running. Not only was it a matter of time before the Shar-Virk get themselves together and try to kill them, but every itchy trigger finger was going wild in the building.

They ran around the corner to their quarters and a second later, Matt went flying as he slipped on "Ice? How the hell did ice get here...oh," said Matt, getting up and seeing one of the frozen combine troopers in the doorway to Jade's room.

"What did that?" asked Kala.

Matt poked one of the troopers. "Yup, he's dead," he said more to himself than anyone else.

Chloe looked down to see a stream of ice all heading to a single point, like a cone. She also noticed something. "Where's Drago?" she said, looking at the empty space where she had knocked Drago down.

"Maybe whatever did this ate him," said Matt hopefully.

"Where's Jade?" said Jackie however, having gotten over the sight of deep frozen troopers.

"Who's Jade?" asked Kala, "And for that matter, who are you?"

Chloe said, "Introductions later. Drago's probably on the loose and there is about 30 angry mercenaries also on the loose."

"What? Is Draco having a glitch attack?" asked Kala.

"No, I said Dra_g_o, with a g," said Chloe, "Different guy entirely."

Matt said, "He's evil...and he can reach the top shelf."

"Not to mention he has demonic fire powers," said Chip.

Kala said, "Another demon?" sounding tired.

"Afraid so," said Matt, "We'll fill you in all you missed as soon as we find Jade and get out of here."

"Ok, how will I know her?" asked Kala.

Matt said, "Erm...at the moment or how she usually looks?"

"Depends, which is more relevant?" asked Kala.

"At the moment. Look for the dragon being followed by a rain cloud," said Matt simply.

"Um, by dragon being, you mean like us?" asked Kala.

"Uh, I know it is important that she should be on the same page as us," said Chip, "But can we please move before Romanov's security shoots at us?"

On cue, several Black 13 mercs came round the corner and aimed at them. "Too late, boys," said one before looking at Kala, "Hey babe, wanna ditch the jokers and come with a real merc?"

"Hey, that's my girl-" started Matt before Kala snarled and threw a fireball at the offending merc. The other members of the now ex-merc's team looked at the result before wordlessly turning and running for it as fast as they could, the anthro merc in the team dropping his holo and going to all fours for extra speed.

Matt also looked scared. "Hormones?" he said weakly.

Kala shrugged and said, "Something like that. But I think it was mostly Kai's doing. She's probably still in my head the same way Draconus is in yours. Speaking of hormones, how about later we-"

Chloe cleared her voice loudly and said, "We have more important things to do here."

"Yes...shooty now, erm...something else later," said Matt, saying the second part quite lamely.

"Do I want to know?" asked Jackie.

Chip paused to think for a second before saying, "Probably not."

The group headed down the corridor. In the next corridor, it seemed that Romanov's security had been outgunned, a few mercs apparently setting old rivalry aside

"How are we going to find Jade in this mess?" asked Jackie. The sound of thunder was heard somewhere down the hallway.

"I'm guessing that way," said Chloe.

The group headed down the corridor towards the mansions entry atrium. "Matt, I probably caused you a lot of pain, didn't I?" said Kala in a sorrowful voice.

"Well, I've been beaten up worse, comes with being a mercenary," said Matt.

"But..." began Kala but Matt interrupted.

"It wasn't you anymore then Draconus is me. It wasn't your fault," he said, looking ahead with his gun. There was shooting coming from the atrium, sounding like the gause blasters Romanov's security team were using. This was confirmed as a security trooper was thrown through the doorway ahead on a fireball.

"Looks like Drago's in there," said Chloe, "Do we still need him alive?"

Matt glared, "No...I think we can ignore NSC rules for once."

"That's all I needed to here," said Chloe, setting her rifle for maximum power.

Matt headed for the door and stopped. "Doesn't sound like there's just a few people in there," he said before a throwing star came through the door a inch from his face. Matt naturally fell backwards, firing through the door.

"Throwing stars? Who still uses those...oh," said Chloe as she looked around the corner and saw several Shadowkhan of the basic variety.

"Pardon me, I think I can take care of this," said Chip.

"You sure?" asked Matt.

"I have a heck of a lot of stress built up from this horrible party, I need to get it out," said Chip.

Matt shrugged. "Go nuts," he said.

Chip shifted his hands into viral blasters and said, "This will only take a minute." He went around the corner and yelled "DIE NINJA BOYS!" There was a lot of shooting and zapping before Chip called, "All clear!"

Matt opened the atrium door slowly and peered into the wrecked room. The singe marks showed where splitter troopers had died, their bodies self incinerating. However there was also nobody else there. Jackie said "Where is everyone?"

Matt muttered, "Just when we need Draco's magic sensing skills."

"Oh, I'm sure he won't be that hard to find," said Chip, "He ought to show up like a beacon on infra-red." He then switched his eye to that setting.

"Well, if he's really as big as a jerk as you guys said, he probably won't be holding his silence for lo-" started Kala before a fireball hit her and sent her flying. Matt and Chloe both turned and shredded the balcony the fireball had come from with weapon fire. Jackie ran over to check on Kala and found that, asides from some singed clothing, she was just fine.

Matt lowered his blaster and came over too. "I think we got him," he said.

Another fireball shot out and hit Matt. "Nope, still breathing," said Chloe. Chloe aimed at the new shooting location only for a throwing star to hit her gun.

"I can't believe they used that old-" said Matt before something invisible yanked Matt up into the air, shook him until his grip on his weapons loosened enough for it to take, and threw him into the other wall. "Ow...was wondering when you'd turn up," said Matt, weakly.

Jackie turned to see Ghoulwyrm appear in front of him, spinning Matt's blaster on his talon. "Eh, it got boring in the lair, so I thought I'd pop up and either kick your butt or suck some pretty girls dry," said Ghoulwyrm, "And there aren't enough pretty girls around here."

Chloe glared death at Ghoulwyrm. Kala however had got back up. "Hey..." she said annoyed.

Ghoulwyrm glared at Kala and said, "Ah, I see you've managed to get your girlfriend back. But, I think I can make her vanish again."

"Back off, grave-breath," said Kala, a fireball appearing in her hands.

"Ooh, a fireball, how can I counter that?" said Ghoulwyrm in a mocking tone, "Oh wait I know." He opened his mouth wide and breathed purple flames at her.

The flames however bended around Kala in a fashion that Ghoulwyrm noted was very like when someone tried to shoot Matt with a plasma weapon. The flames turned and began to head back, rather like they were being directed... "Ah crap," said Ghoulwyrm gloomily as he caught on.

Kala hurled her arm and the flames flew back at Ghoulwyrm, catching his arms on fire. The undead wyvern shrieked as he tried to extinguish his bandage-like tendrils. "Bloody half-dragon nutballs!" he yelled, patting at his tendrils before stopping as he noticed that Matt's blaster was not missing.

Suddenly, a plasma blast nailed Ghoulwyrm upside the head, sending the dracolich toppling. Matt blew the smoke away from the barrel of his gun and said, "The trick is to hit him at the right part of the skull." Matt grabbed Ghoulwyrm, who's eyes were spinning and shook him, lighting a plasma flame under his nose. "Where's Jade and your little buddy, Ghouly?" he said, snarling.

Ghoulwyrm straightened his eyes and said, "Oh, you can't figure that out on your own? You don't need to ask me."

Matt tightened his grip and said, "I'm not in the mood for games, Ghoulwyrm. Where are they?"

Ghoulwyrm grinned and pointed behind Matt.

Matt looked confused and turned in time for Kala to be thrown at him. Matt's lack of focus allowed Ghoulwyrm to become intangible, which allowed Matt and Kala to fly right through him.

Chloe and Jackie came into view to see Jade and Drago standing in front of the knocked-out forms of Kala and Matt. "Drago...step away!" yelled Chloe.

"Hmm, I dunno, let's see what my new partner has to say about that," said Drago.

Chloe looked confused before Jade turned to look at them. A second later, a bolt of lightning hit the ground at Chloe's feet, the blast knocking her and Jackie over.

"What the heck was that?" said Chloe.

"Oh, just me testing my unbridled power," said Jade in a nasty voice, "You like it?"

Chloe glared and looked at Drago. "I should have let Techo deal with you back at the junk yard," she said icily.

"Probably," said Drago, "But it's too late now, isn't it?"

Chloe glared and sent a blast of electricity at Drago. Jade held out her hand and the lightning bolt stopped in midair. "Hey, how did you do that?" demanded Chloe.

"I have all of your powers and far more," said Jade before throwing the lightning back at her. Chloe barely managed to stop it before being sent flying back and out of sight behind the atrium's desk.

Jackie turned to Jade and said, "Jade, um, you're grounded!"

"Tch, I don't take orders from mortals anymore," said Jade, "My powers are far above any of yours. Just watch." She raised her arms up and called, "Shadowkhan, arise!" The floor became covered in shadow before several Shadowkhan emerged from it.

Matt came around to see a Shadowkhan with its back to him. _'Ok...this is not good,'_ he thought and looked around to see if he could see which Demon sorcerer was pulling the strings.

Then he heard Jackie spoke, "I thought Shendu was controlling the Shadowkhan."

"I was a bit surprised as well," said Drago's voice, "I'm guessing her Celestial powers allow her to access that magic trunk. Either that or it's her former 'Queen of the Shadowkhan' thing woken back up."

Matt slowly looked around to see his blaster a meter away. However, no mercenary had just one gun and he began to inch his hand towards his OTHER blaster.

"So what's it gonna be, Chan? Plenty of people around to choose for your executioner," said Drago.

"Um, well..." started Jackie. Before he could think of something to say, all the lights in the atrium went out.

"Hey! Who turned out the lights?" demanded Drago.

Matt took this chance to sit up, his plasma magnum in hand and began popping where he had seen Shadowkhan, the strobing causing eerie blue flashes.

"Hey, cut that out!" snapped Drago, lighting a fireball in his hand.

Sadly, as anyone knows, when you are in the dark surrounded by people who want to kill you, lighting a flame is usually unhealthy. Matt demonstrated this by shooting at the light and while the plasma magnums round would do nothing, it was travelling with the force of a medium sized bullet train when it hit. The blast sent Drago flying into a wall.

"Ha, way too easy," said Matt.

Just then, Ghoulwyrm smacked him into a wall. "You think your little blindscreen would work on me?" said Ghoulwyrm, "I'm a creature of the night. Darkness cannot blind me."

Matt managed to shake the stars from his vision and suddenly smirked. "Don't be such a hot head," he said.

"What are you talking about?" asked Ghoulwyrm before a fireball set his head on fire.

Kala strolled by the flailing Ghoulwyrm and picked an extinguisher off the wall. "Here...let me HELP!" she said and hit Ghoulwyrm in the face with it.

Ghoulwyrm shrieked and yelled, "WHY YOU MONGREL BI-"

"Hey, there are children present," said Matt, "Sort of."

Matt then got up and took the extinguisher away from Kala. "No...you swing from the top," he said bringing the extinguisher down on Ghoulwyrm's head, knocking his head below his shoulders. Ghoulwyrm split his muzzle into four and blasted the two of them with a point-blank sonic roar.

"Also...have a backup plan," said Matt, firing apparently randomly above Ghoulwyrm's head.

Ghoulwyrm straightened his neck and growled, "I'll have your hides for that!"

"Yes, but before that, look up," said Matt.

"What game is-" started Ghoulwyrm before the chandelier Matt had shot landed on him.

"Rule two: Always be happy to see an overconfident moron as an opponent," said Matt to Kala as Ghoulwyrm tried to get the burning chandelier off him. Ghoulwyrm roared loudly again before bursting into purple flames. Matt gulped and said, "Rule three: Know how far you should push your opponent before they lose their temper."

There was a crack and Kala looked up and said weakly, "Is rule four 'not to shoot a chandelier on a supporting beam'?"

Matt looked up and gulped before they both just avoided a large chunk of the roof hitting Ghoulwyrm. Needless to say he was contained. "Dmitri's gonna kill me," said Matt weakly.

"Matt, me, Chloe, Jackie, and Chip are the only ones here who don't want to kill you," pointed out Kala.

Matt thought about this. "Good point," he said before a lightning bolt nearly hit them. Jade had gotten over the lack of light by making her eyes glow like headlamps. "That's cheating!" yelled Matt and was pulled down by Kala just in time.

"Yes, but so would be this," said Jade, lifting her arms and creating storm clouds.

"Oh hell," said Matt weakly.

Just then, the air conditioning suddenly switched to maximum power and started blowing the clouds away. "What's going on here?" demanded Jade.

"I'd say it's a computer virus," said Matt innocently.

Kala headed over to Jackie. "We can't distract her forever," she said.

"It's the medallion," said Jackie, "It's giving her all her dragon powers."

Kala and Jackie turned to see Jade readying a lightning ball when Matt in a act of both heroism and stupidity jumped on her back, dragging her aim off. "JUST GET IT OFF HER!" she yelled.

"That's just it!" called Jackie, "We need take the unicorn horn back to Uncle before we can-" He was cut off when an indigo-colored bolt of lightning arced out of the remaining clouds and hit Jade, as well Matt who was on her. Matt gibbered, sadly taking the brunt of the blast and fell off.

However, Jade was stunned enough to fall down onto her knees. Jackie walked over to her and said, "Sorry," before whacking over the head, knocking her out.

Matt got up, twitching a bit. "Who did that?" he rasped

Chip walked into the room and said, "I just learned two things: computer virus-carrying energy can be amplified with lightning, and that demigods are capable of being tazered."

Matt got a certain glint at that. "Good work Chip...come here so I can reward you," he said in a barely sane voice.

"Ah, good old Matt," said Kala, "Nice work with the lights and vents, Chip."

"Yeah...hey...where's Drago?" said Chloe. Kala looked to see that Ghoulwyrm had also vanished.

"Um, not that I'm not worried, but there are a lot more villains here who want to hurt us and I think we should go when the going's good," said Chip.

There was a series of clicks at that. The group turned to see Dmitri, looking a bit battleworn with a dozen security troopers. "Hmm...I thought you might try something like this," he said in a bored tone.

"Well, yeah," said Chloe, "We wanted to this quietly, but things just got out of hand."

"Yes...I can see that. All this trouble over a little piece of bone," he said before saying, "What? You think I'd trust any of my visitors with privacy?"

"And I suppose there's to be no negotiation," said Chloe.

"I never said that. I got the cash for the item. It's not my fault if Captain Taleth is too incompetent to hold onto it," said Dmitri, with a faint grin.

"So...we're free to go?" asked Jackie.

"Yes. Next time, though...warn me when you're coming," said Dmitri. Although he had said this in a casual tone, the tone still suggested he could withdraw his offer at any moment.

Matt had managed to gather back a few of his marbles by then. "Um, sure, no problem. Thanks," he said.

Dmitri said, "Oh...and please...don't let me see you near my operations again."

"We'll try to avoid them," said Chloe before carting Jade's unconscious body out the door.

…

Back at Section 13, the gang got a warm reception. Well, mostly.

"I told you having Jade impersonate space pirate was bad idea!" snapped Uncle, "Uncle advised against it, but did anyone listen? Noooo... And what happens? Jade gets lid flipped by Drago and now he's escaped as well! You should never ignore Uncle's adviiiise!"

"Look...can we fix this or not?" yelled Matt back. His multiple bruises and electrocutions had given him a headache.

"Yes, Drago merely amplified Jade's ego and dark urges. Will take bit of time, but can be undone," said Uncle.

"Good...now I'm off to explain to Chip what 'aiming' means," said Matt evilly, taking a fire axe out of a fire cabinet on the wall.

"Metal squid cannot be bothered," said Uncle, "He is bringing Uncle tea."

Matt paused and asked, "Excuse me?"

Just then, Chip walked in, dressed as a butler and holding a tea tray. His expression was notably disgruntled. "I never should have made that stupid bet," he muttered.

"Think of it as karma," said Matt as he walked out the door.

"Stupid party," muttered Chip, "More of a masquerade of a ball than a masquerade ball."

"Why are you going on about party? Uncle needs his tea. You want dead Uncle?" snapped Uncle.

"Yes sir," groaned Chip.

…

Matt, meanwhile, had given up his Chip hunt and was outside catching some fresh air when he saw Kala, sitting by herself. Matt sat down next to Kala and said, "Hey, how are you doing?"

Kala looked over at Matt. "I can't believe I'm back. I thought I was going to be stuck as...Kai forever."

"Well, the feeling's mutual," said Matt.

"I can remember...everything. Kai was a monster," said Kala gloomily.

"Oh, you're exaggerating," said Matt, "She was a nasty piece of work, granted, but she couldn't have been that bad."

"Kai was a monster...worse than Draconus...when she smashed that crystal in the catacombs, she knew what would happen...she just didn't care," said Kala

"How could she possibly know about that?" asked Matt.

"I don't know...but she knew what was coming out," said Kala, head in her hands.

"Strange," said Matt, "But at least you haven't gotten any blood on your hands. Except for those who deserved it."

Kala sighed. "It still feels wrong. The people who got away from Kai...they won't bother to check."

"Hey, hey, hey," said Matt, putting his arm around Kala, "You're not responsible for everything. Besides, I've done enough self-loathing for both of us."

Kala leaned her head against Matt's chest and said, "I missed you."

"And I missed you," said Matt, hugging Kala.

Just then, a red dune buggy pulled up. Megan and Gary got out of the front seats. "You sure we should have been driving around like that?" asked Gary.

"Hey, no one pulled us over," said Megan. Then she spotted Matt and Kala and she said, "Oh, you guys got Kala back. Guys, this is Kala, she's one of us."

Weirdwolf bounded out of the back seat in dragon mode before changing back to werewolf mode. "A pleasure to see you again, it is," said Weirdwolf.

Then the dune buggy shifted and rose up as a 10 foot robot with four arms. "How's it hangin', little cuz?" said the robot, "De name's Dune Runner."

Kala just stared in shock. "Big," she said simply.

"Uh, right," said Matt, "We need to bring you up to stat on our last adventure."

Kala just nodded. "Big," she repeated, numbly.

Chloe glared at Dune Runner. "Great, you broke her."

"Me? He's probably odder than both of us," said Dune Runner, pointing at Weirdwolf, who growled at him.

"Now then, kiddies...no fighting," said Matt.

Gary whispered to Megan, "Probably not a good time to mention I'm a weregoyle, is it?"

"I'd wait till later," agreed Megan.

Matt was gently pushing Kala towards the door. "That's it...you can try coffee now," he was saying.

Chloe glared at Dune and said, "And you, back on the ship. There's enough craziness around here with demons without living cars putting everyone in a straitjacket."

Dune Runner scratched his head and asked, "What's their problem?" Weirdwolf just shrugged in reply.

* * *

There's another chapter. This one's more loosely connected to Jackie Chan Adventures than the previous ones, but still very important as it raises a lot of issues. Namely, the complications having both dragon powers and the body of an adult, Drago and Ghoulwyrm being at large again, and the development of the potion for removing the Vang Xian Necklace. And there are a couple of characters from previous stories appearing. Most notably among them is Matt's girlfriend Kala and has fully returned. The next chapter will be up Friday and this one will be a lot more related to Jackie Chan Adventures. Stay tuned for it and please review.


	9. Monkey Madness Monday

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 9: Monkey Madness Monday**

Since Ghoulwyrm and Drago weren't showing their faces showing themselves for a while, the gang decided to hang out at Uncle's shop for a bit. Of course, they were keeping a healthy distance away from Uncle's workbench.

Matt was taking a more extreme approach, hiding behind the heaviest object in the shop. "Ok...how often do explosions happen?" he asked in a desperately cheerful voice and watching Megan.

"I am not exploding anything," said Megan before the beaker she was holding let out a burst of smoke. "Combusting slightly, maybe," she said.

"I don't care. I'm not coming within fallout range," said Matt, peering back out after the smoke cleared.

"Well at least fallout is interesting," said Draco as he randomly skipped through TV channels, "There's nothing good to watch."

"Stop encouraging fate!" snapped Matt.

Chloe stood up. "Well as much fun as watching your paranoia is...I'm hungry," she said, walking into the kitchen.

Chloe's looking through the kitchen wasn't as fruitful as she hoped. "Mung beans, bagels, rice, doesn't he have any kind of snack food?" asked Chloe. She opened a cabinet to see a bag of Doritos. "About time...dammit, they're dippers. Let's see," Chloe said, looking around and in the fridge to see a bowl of what looked like salsa. "Ah, finally," said Chloe before taking the bowl out and dipping a chip into it before popping it into her mouth. "Mmm...zesty," she said.

Just then, Megan and Uncle walked into the kitchen and saw Chloe. "AI YA! What do you think you are doing?" shouted Uncle.

Chloe looked around. "Having a snack, what do you think?" she said.

"That's not salsa," said Meg, "That's my refitting spell!"

Chloe said, "What?" in a level voice.

"You should not have eaten that," said Uncle, "Spell was only half-done. One more thing, not meant to be ingested. One more thing, should never be mixed with corn."

Chloe said, "You could have used a post-it...oh boy...I think I'm gonna barf," before glowing green and starting to shrink.

"Oh, Matt's not gonna be happy about this," said Megan.

Matt's voice behind them said, "Mad about what?"

Uncle quickly stood in front of a diminishing Chloe and said, "Nothing, nothing's wrong. You are too tense."

"Like...oof," began Chloe before Megan kicked a saucepan over her 'accidentally'.

"Where's Chloe?" asked Matt.

"Uh, she...went out for a bite," said Megan.

"Then what's behind you? I can see something," said Matt, suspiciously.

"Nothing interesting," said Uncle before Matt pushed Uncle aside.

He looked down and saw Chloe's clothes in a heap. "Uh, why did Chloe take off her clothes in the kitchen?" asked Matt.

"None of your business, out of kitchen now," said Uncle before pushing Matt out.

"Oi...CHLOE!" said Matt, yelling the last part before Uncle shut the door on him.

Megan looked at the upside-down saucepan. "Matt's going to kill us," she said, before lifting the pan, dreading what she might have seen.

Chloe wasn't harmed at all, but she did look very irked. This is understandable since she was now only seven inches tall and had to crouch because her clothes didn't shrink with her. "Ok...explain...NOW!" she yelled.

"Well, that spell was supposed to be for shrinking clothes to fit me better. You know, like clothes that have a great design but are too big for me," said Megan, "And since you ate some of it before it was done, well, it didn't have quite the desired result."

"Really...bend down," said Chloe. Megan bent down and was nearly deafened when Chloe yelled, "WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE, EINSTEIN?"

"Hey, hey, relax," said Megan, "We can make you the right size again, easily. Right, Uncle?"

Uncle thought for a second and said, "Yes, but will have to make new spell. Could take a few hours."

Chloe growled and tried to gather up the lightning bolt to end all bolts, only for a tiny spark to come out. "Ok...you'd better get a cure soon," she said darkly.

"Hmm... half-finished spell cancels out dragon powers. Interesting," said Uncle, "I shall get to work on a remedy."

Chloe said, "What about my CLOTHES?" She was clearly losing it...big time

"Do I look like the kind of girl who plays with Barbie dolls?" asked Megan.

Chloe glared. "All I have to do is yell and Matt'll have a horde of spiderbots in your room before he's finished yelling," she threatened.

"Ok, ok, I think I know where I can find clothes for you," said Megan, "I'll be back in a little bit."

Chloe glared, "I'm NOT LITTLE!"

"Alright, don't lose your head," said Megan before walking out the kitchen door and walking into Matt.

"I heard my sister in there...something about shrinking?" said Matt, icily.

"Um, well, er..." started Megan before Chloe's voice shouted, "Matt! That quack witchdoctress shrank me! Do something!"

Matt glared at Megan, "Explain why I shouldn't blast you INTO THE NEXT AREA CODE!"

"Uh, because it was mostly her fault?" said Megan.

Matt glared and reached for his blaster. Luckily for Megan, the phone began to ring. Matt glared and pinned Megan to the wall with plasma control before picking the phone up. "Hello?" he said.

"Uh, Matt, Captain Black," said the voice on the other end.

"Are Drago and Ghoulwyrm on the move again?" asked Matt.

"No, it's more of a domestic problem," said Black, "You remember that little white blob thing that came with you?"

"Yeah...PlasMorph. What about him?" said Matt. After listening for a minute, Matt yelled, "HE DID WHAT?"

…

Section 13 may be one of the most secure places in the US, but its security measures tend to fail against the paranormal. That was how Morph got the Talismans so easily.

Morph was bouncing down the hall, said Talismans literally about his person. Matt peered round a corner. "I'm going to kill him...alot," he said as Morph bounced by.

"Actually, since he has the Dog Talisman, he's immortal," said Jackie.

"Not if I tear it out of him," said Matt, his eye twitching.

"Matt, calm down," said Kala, "This is Morph we're talking about. He's harmless...mostly."

"He has the equivalent of a small army's worth of magic at his disposal," said Matt.

Just then, Morph flew by them, shouting, "Super Morph to the rescue!"

Matt watched as Morph went through the wall and back again. "Ok...we have to stop him," he said simply.

"Maybe if we're lucky, he'll activate the Sheep Talisman power," said Jackie. However, Morph suddenly faded out of sight. "Or he could use the Snake Talisman."

"Morph...get out here now!" yelled Matt.

There was a moment of silence. "Maybe he's gone," said Kala.

"WEDGIE!" Suddenly, Matt's underwear apparently hoisted itself high into the air, leaving Matt dangling.

Matt glared after he came down. "There's...got to be...something...we can...do," he said.

"Er, perhaps we could use some bait," said Jackie.

"Like what?" said Matt.

"Well, maybe there's something he likes, like puppet shows," said Jackie.

"No...he kinda hates those," said Draco.

"Well, we have to at least keep him in Section 13," said Chip, "Who knows what kind of panic he'll cause outside?"

"Too much..." said Matt, simply before looking around. "Morph? If you don't appear, I'll put that octopus puppet in your room!" he called out.

Suddenly, Morph reappeared in front of them. "You've caused enough trouble today," said Jackie, "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Morph thought for a second before saying, "Kitties!" and shooting Talisman power forward. Jackie got out of the way, but the beam hit Matt and Kala.

"I hate you..." began Matt before he and Kala were replaced by two cats, one looking absolutely furious before leaping on Morph's face.

"Ah! Bad kitty! Bad kitty!" yelled Morph before throwing Matt off. "Ok, I think I'll go play in the other room." He then flew through a door, without opening it.

Matt and Kala began making various yowls, luckily not understandable as they were probably not polite. "Uh, don't worry, we'll change you back as soon as we catch Morph," said Jackie. Just then, Weirdwolf walked by in werewolf mode. He paused when he noticed Matt and Kala. Matt and Kala returned the glare before fleeing, Weirdwolf in pursuit.

"Don't worry, Weirdwolf's great with cats," said Chip, "He'd never hurt them."

"Are you sure?" said Draco.

The sound of crashing, cats screeching, and Weirdwolf barking from the other room. "Anything else in his path is another matter," said Chip.

Chip thought. "Is there any coconut cake here? I think I know where Morph will be vulnerable," he said after a minute.

Meanwhile, Morph was taking the Monkey Talisman for a spin drive, turning virtually anyone he meets into some kind of animal. He stopped as he passed the cafeteria and smelled 'Mmmm...cake…" he said Homer style and hovered into the kitchen. He spotted a big chocolate cake sitting on a table. "Yum, yum, yum," said Morph as he floated over to the cake.

Jackie and co arrive in time to see him start eating the cake. "Ok...get him," said Chip.

Jackie nodded and jumped towards Morph. Unfortunately, he forgotten that Morph had flexible eyestalks and he saw him coming. Jackie barely got a hold of him only for Morph to slide out of his grasp.

Jackie looked down to see which ones he had grabbed. "Horse and Rooster," he said.

"Big deal, I didn't need the Horse anyways," said Morph, "I can heal on my own." He tried to jump into the air, but only landed back down again.

"But now you can't fly," said Chip.

Morph shrugged before shooting out in a blur.

"Oh right, super speed, forgot that one," said Chip.

Morph ended up in an old darkened room full of boxes, still with the cake. "Hah...nobody steals Super Morph's cake," he said, already on a sugar high.

Just then, a crate was dropped on Morph. "Gotcha!" said Draco. A cluster of heat beams blew down the side of the crate and Morph waddled out. "Right, heat beam eyes plus four eyes equals twice normal fire power," said Draco.

He sent out his own heat vision, burning Morph on the butt and causing the Pig Talisman to go flying. Morph yelped and leaped away. Draco rubbed his eyes and said, "Oh, that heat vision's murder on the peepers."

Morph turned and said "Well..." and apparently meant to do a playful tap on Draco. However, Draco went flying into a wall where he landed with a crunch. "Ow..." he said.

"Oh, Ox strength, gotta remember that," said Morph.

He bounced up to help Draco up and heard something clack in a fallen box. Morph turned and slowly approached the box. Very carefully, he opened the box and looked inside. He suddenly screamed and ran from the box as fast as he could. And since he still had the Rabbit Talisman, that was pretty fast. In his hurry, the Rat Talisman went flying, into the box and into the boxes contents.

Chip opened the door and Morph nearly instantly wrapped himself around Chip. "It was horrible!" he cried, "It stared at me with the merciless glassy eyes of a doll!"

"That's because it was a doll, you nincompoop," said Draco.

Chip walked up and looked into the box before pulling out a monkey doll. "See? It's not alive...watch," he said, shaking it at Morph before dropping it.

"I know, it's still creepy-looking," said Morph.

"He does have a point," said Draco.

Chip shrugged. "It's just a dumb doll," he said, tossing the monkey doll out of sight.

"Ok, that's enough magical excitement for you today," said Draco, "Guys, let's take away these Talismans before he does anything more with them."

Chip snatched the Monkey Talisman off Morph and aimed at the empty doorway. "What are you..." began Jackie as he walked in.

"Shh...CHANGE THEM BACK!" Chip said as Matt and Kala ran into view, twin blasts hitting them Matt and Kala changed back to humans about midstride and ended up tumbling to a stop.

"Ouch," said Matt, from under Kala. Weirdwolf bounded around the corner, looking for the two fun cats he was chasing. Matt glared as Weirdwolf came into view. "YOU LITTLE TERROR! CHASE ME, WILL YOU?" he yelled before running after Weirdwolf who knew trouble when it was yelling at him.

"Well, there are a lot more people to change back and even more to apologize to, right, Morph?" said Draco.

Morph said, "Yes, Chip...erm, can I keep the cake?"

"Sure," said Chip before muttering, "It's loaded with laxatives anyways."

Everybody walked out, sadly neglecting to count the Talismans they had reclaimed from Morph; they were one short.

The 'monkey doll' that Chip had tossed away was more than just that. For one thing, it was a puppet as well, explaining Morph's earlier scare by it. For another, it was dressed in Chinese clothes as well as holding a wooden staff. And right now, the monkey puppet was shaking as the Rat Talisman sank into it.

The puppet suddenly shook into life. "Yaah...I hate that...spell..." it said, its voice petering of as it saw its reflection. "Wah!" it tumbled back before looking again. "Huh? I'm still wood? That's never happened before." It tapped the metal panel with its staff, causing the reflection to ripple and show the Rat Talisman inside him. "So that's how I'm alive. Should have know Chan used Ol' Ratface."

"Ok...time to see if the old mojo still works," he said, spinning his staff like a baton and sending a blast across the room. The blast hit a blaster lying against the wall which puffed before turning into a NERF gun. "Yep, still got it," said the puppet, "Still, a little elevation would be nice."

Two spiderbots scuttled out, having watched from the shadows. "New guy," said one in a creepily-deep voice.

"Ooh, space bugs," said the Monkey King puppet, "Better call an exterminator." He turned his staff into a giant flyswatter and brought it down on the spiderbots.

The spiderbots weren't even phased. The other one said, "Stupid new guy." The first one clicked and both spiderbots folded out small buzzsaws. "Dead stupid new guy," it added.

"Hmm, better spray," said the Monkey Puppet before pulling out a big can of bug spray and unloading it in the spiderbots' faces. "Another bug bites the dust," said the Monkey King puppet before the cloud cleared, revealing several spiderbots.

"Bad monkey," said one of them.

The monkey puppet gulped as every spiderbot present folded out an energy blaster. "I suppose we can't talk about this, puppet to space bug?" said the monkey puppet before being forced to run as they all opened fire.

…

Meanwhile, Chloe was trying to adjust to her temporary situation. She looked down at the doll's dress she was wearing and said, "What are toy companies make these days? This cheap cloth feels so...fake."

"Oh, sorry," said Megan sarcastically, "Maybe I should call the toy tailor. Or would you prefer the swimsuit wardrobe?"

Chloe glared. "I will kill you. It's your fault I'm in this mess," she said.

"Hey, you're the one who was rooting around the refrigerator," said Megan.

"Who uses a fridge for storing spell salsa?" yelled Chloe.

"It wasn't supposed to be salsa," said Megan, "The spell had to chill for 2 hours before the other ingredients can be added, then it would have been a powder to sprinkle on the clothes."

"You didn't even label it. This is why Matt doesn't let you do any magic crap on the ship," said Chloe.

"You don't boss me around," said Megan, "You're not my mother."

"No...but I have your godmother on speeddial," said Chloe.

"Like you reach her from here," said Megan, "I bet you can't even push down a button at that size."

"But I can get NegaMorph to," said Chloe.

"Oh sure, rat to my uncle, that's so resourceful," said Megan sarcastically.

Jackie walked in, his eyes falling down on Chloe. "Yaaah! Chloe...what happened? You're tiny," he said, jumping back.

"A magical misfire," said Chloe in a sulky tone.

Jackie looked annoyed and yelled, "Jade! How many times-"

"Not Jade's fault, hers," said Chloe, pointing at Megan.

"It's her fault. She went snooping around when my spell wasn't half done," said Megan.

"She used the food fridge for storing salsa look-a-alike. This could have been you next movie night," retorted Chloe.

"For your information, Uncle put it in the fridge," said Megan, "He said, and I quote, 'nobody would be foolish enough to mistake this for food'."

Jackie sighed and said, "I've been trying to tell Uncle to get a separate refrigerator for his ingredients. Suppose someone mistook the crocodile toes next to the cottage cheese for chicken wings?"

Megan looked worried, and suddenly a bit pale. "No...that would be stupid," she said weakly.

"Oh, sure, like anyone could tell- Are you okay, Megan?" asked Chloe.

Megan's face started to go green. "Yes, I'm-" she said before a hiccupping sound came from her throat. She held her hands in front of her mouth as her cheeks began to bulge.

Chloe said, "I think I know where the toes went," as Megan ran for the restroom.

…

The Monkey King was putting his various parts back together. "Stupid spiders, can't take a joke," he muttered.

He stopped as he heard someone come into the room below his vent. "Stupid crocodile toes," said a girl's voice.

He looked down to see a redhead leaning over a toilet. From the looks of it, she ate something that didn't agree with her. "They should probably settle their differences face to face," he said, sending a blast into the toilet bowl, causing a crocodile's head to suddenly pop out. Megan screamed and jumped back, patting her hand against her heart.

The Monkey King burst into laughter. "Oh, I may have been out of the loop for a while but I still got it," he said.

…

After that, Megan walked out of the bathroom, looking shellshocked. "Megan, are you okay?" asked Jackie.

"I am never eating crocodile again," said Megan weakly.

"I can understand that," said Jackie, "We probably ought to take the strained squid tentacles in the blue Tupperware bowl out before someone mistakes it for noodles."

Chris and Techo looked down at the 'noodles' that they had 'salvaged' from the fridge before running for the restroom too.

Just then, Draco, Chip, and Morph walked in. "What's up?" asked Draco.

"Er, we had a bit of a-" started Megan.

Suddenly Morph gasped and said, "No way! A Chloe action figure!" He picked up Chloe and said, "Chloe flies through the city, searching for danger. Swoosh-whoo-whoo-whoo! Uh oh, here comes some spy planes. Pew-pew-pew-pew! Oh no, a giant robot's attacking! Bam-bam-bam! AND HERE COMES THE GIANT FIST!"

Megan grabbed Morph and whispered something in his ear. "Oh...ooooh...HERE COMES THE GIANT..." he never finished as Matt had come in and made his head explode with plasma control.

"Stop playing like my sister like she's a toy," said Matt, "Can't you see that she's humiliated enough? I mean, if someone took pictures of her...and threatened to spread them around...they could blackmail her for ages...to avoid pain..."

Chloe was too dizzy to see that Matt was starting to see a few plusses before he 'accidentally' pressed the camera function on his wrist comp...8 times.

"How'd that happen?" asked Chip.

"Leftover mixup in the fridge," said Megan.

"Oh yeah, I see," said Chip, "Remember that time you accidentally ate that bowl of compost casserole because it was in a similar container like the fettuccini alfredo, Draco?"

"My mouth hasn't recovered even now," said Draco in a haunted voice.

"How soon will she be full-size?" asked Matt.

"Uncle said that finding a spell that'll make her big and restore her powers may take some time," said Megan.

Matt grinned evilly. "So she can't tazer me for coming up with the plan?" he said hopefully.

"Plan? What plan?" demanded Chloe.

"Oh, any plan," said Matt happily.

Chloe glared at Matt before saying to Draco and Chip, "You aren't just gonna stand there, right?"

Draco had been looking at Chloe for a while and said, "You know, if you put on an Arabian outfit and got inside a bottle, you could totally fool people into thinking you're a genie."

"Actually, I think she'd look better as a ballerina on a music box," said Chip.

Chloe glared. "I won't be this small forever," she reminded them.

"All the more reason to milk it now," said Matt.

Just then, Contrinus flew over. "So have you gotten those Talismans off of Morph yet?" she asked.

"Yup," said Matt.

Jackie seemed to remember what he had come in to say. "Except one...the Rat Talisman is missing," he said.

"What does that one do?" asked Draco.

"It brings motion to the motionless," said Jackie.

There was a brief pause before Draco said, "Come again?"

"It makes things come to life...like toys," said Jackie, remembering the Gnome Kop incident with a wince.

"That doesn't sound so bad," said Chloe.

"But if it brings to life something that's the image of someone, like a statue of a dragon, a god, or a wizard, they'll have all the memories, personalities, and powers of those beings," said Jackie.

Chloe looked skeptical for a second. "Oh...how'd you know that?"

"Personal experience," said Jackie.

Chloe scoffed. "Oh, right, what...name one statue," she said

"Quetzalcoatl," said Jackie.

"Isn't he-" started Chip.

"The Aztec god of the sky, sun, and agriculture," finished Jackie.

"Oh boy, bet that was fun," said Matt sarcastically

"You should have seen the army of Super Moose dolls," muttered Jackie.

"Oook…" said Matt.

"Maybe we're overreacting a little bit," said Chip, "I mean, just because it's MIA, doesn't mean it's animated something."

…

Meanwhile, Monkey King had managed to reach Capt. Black's room.

The mandrill mannequin watched from the ventilation system as Captain Black was looking over papers. He sighed and said, "Another recommendation for therapeutic help? I know I warn my superiors about demons, but I don't have them on the brain constantly."

The Monkey King puppet smirked. "Nothing like a cup of java to really keep your mind on the job," he said, sending a blast into the coffee.

The coffee bubbled for a minute before becoming still. Captain Black picked up his cup and said, "I don't need any therapy. My head's perfectly clear."

At that moment, a dragon's head popped out the coffee and roared in Capt Black's face. Black yelped and fell off his chair in surprise. When he got back up, the dragon was nowhere to be seen. Black stared at the coffee suspiciously before saying, "Ok...I definitely need some leave."

…

Meanwhile, the others were looking for the Rat Talisman. "It's gotta be around here somewhere," said Chip as he looked inside a box.

Matt picked up another box covered in warning labels. "Hey...what was in this?" he said.

"Oh, we just put some stuff we found in there," said Draco, "Just souvenirs, like that monkey doll we found in Hawaii."

Jackie stopped at that. "Monkey doll?" he said weakly.

"Yeah, funny thing really," said Chip, "We found it in a cave in Mt. Kilauea. Suspended in a large amount of cherry gelatin, oddly enough."

Matt looked at Jackie. "Erm...you look like you just got a grenade in the post...you ok?" he said.

"I think we may have a problem," said Jackie, "Was that monkey doll a puppet holding a stick with red hair and a green cape?"

Draco nodded. "Oh...it was yours?" he said.

"That was the puppet of the Monkey King," said Jackie.

"The what?" asked Matt.

"The Monkey King, a magical trickster who was imprisoned in wood, but now he has the Rat Talisman!" said Jackie, his voice rising to a panic.

Matt and Draco, as the Dragon Council's Nullspace and normal space representatives, looked at each other and laughed. "How bad can a 5 inch high wooden puppet be?" said Draco.

"You have no idea how twisted his sense of humor is," said Jackie.

"He couldn't be worse than the spiderbots," said Chip.

Jackie said, "He makes them look like amateurs."

It was Matt's turn to pale at that. "That's not humanly possible," he said in a tiny voice.

"He's not human at all," said Jackie, "And if he finds someone to pull his leg, we'll be in a lot of trouble."

"Oh come on...who'd be stupid enough to do that? Wait...where's Morph?" said Draco.

"I grounded him," said Matt, "You'd think I'd let him try to get those Talismans again?"

Draco and Chip both breathed a sigh of relief at that. "Yeah...I suppose that's a plus," said Draco.

There was a clunk from the vent at that and Matt yelped and incinerated a moderate section of the vent. The smoke cleared, revealing a surprised-looked spiderbot. The spiderbot shrugged before scuttling away. "Uh, false alarm," said Matt.

"Ok...so where would you go if you were a five inch tall wooden doll wanting revenge?" said Matt before looking at the others. "What? They always want revenge.!"

"Well, I suppose he'd first look for someone to pull his leg," said Jackie.

"Well, I know Morph is locked up, but it doesn't hurt to be careful," said Matt, opening his comm up. "Morph?" he said.

Morph's voice echoed slightly as he responded, "Yes?"

"You haven't seen a talking wooden doll around, have you? It might have asked you to pull its leg," said Matt

"Can't see too much through this glass and acid," said Morph.

"Good. If you see one, smash it and I'll give you the passcode to the coffee store," said Matt

"Can't really smash anything in here," said Morph, "When are you letting me out?"

"After today...when I calm down...so probably never...I'll bring you a magazine," said Matt.

The intercom turned on at that and Captain Black's name turned on, "Jackie? Have you brought anything from your...travels into the base?"

"Er, a few things, why do you ask?" asked Jackie.

"Because a dragon was in my coffee a few minutes ago," said Captain Black in a level tone.

"Uh, a dragon in your coffee?" asked Jackie.

"Yes, it popped out like a jack-in-the-box. You wouldn't know how that could have happened, would you?" said Captain Black.

Jackie said, "Erm..." before seeing the others all shaking their heads. "No?" he tried

"Well, I've been getting a few complaints about weird stuff happening in Section 13 today," said Black, "And since 'weird' usually falls under your expertise..."

"I'll look into it," said Jackie.

When Jackie hanged up, Chip said, "So, what kind of pranks does this Monkey King pull?"

"It made a dragon appear in Captain Black's coffee," said Jackie.

Matt however was looking up at the vent. "Erm...Jackie?" he said quietly, making covert pointing at the vent. Jackie looked up to see something hairy duck out of sight. Matt looked up and pointed "BLAST THE MONKEY!" he yelled.

Draco turned and shot an icy blast up at the vent. It froze up a large section of the vent as well as the wall. Matt smirked and jumped up to peer into the vent. "Here, monkey, monkey, monkey," he said. A small snowball shot out of the vent and went right up Matt's nostril. Matt yelped before screaming "BRAIN FREEZE!"

"Ooh, that must be uncomfortable," said Jackie.

"And there's lots more where that came from, lizard boy," said a familiar voice from the vent.

Matt glared before rattling at the vent. "Get out of here, you little cymbal banger!" he yelled.

Inside, the Monkey King was laughing his head off. "Come in here and make me," taunted the Monkey King before yelping in surprise when a draconic claw came through the vent floor about an inch away from him.

The claw grabbed the vent panel and tore it out and the human called Matt peered in, his eyes glowing. "Herrrre's LYNCHY!" he said.

"Really, Matt?" said Chip, "You had to go with that overused line?"

Matt reached in. "Get over here, ya overgrown toothpick," he said angrily.

"Careful, buddy," said the Monkey King, "You don't know what's crawling around in here." Suddenly, his staff flashed pink for a moment.

"Yeah right...get over...here…" he said before seeing spiders, "Hah...I'm not afraid of spiders. You've not lived with their robot cousins."

"Well, as much as I'd like to stay, I've got other saps to play," said the Monkey King before running along the vent. "Hope you're not ticklish!" he called back.

Matt yelled, "SPIDERBOTS! BRING ME THE HEAD OF THAT DUMB PUPPET!"

"Uh, Matt, shouldn't you get out of that vent now?" asked Draco.

Matt said calmly, "I would...if I could move."

Just then, the spiders started moving in. As they got closer, Matt saw that they weren't really spiders, but vibrating toys shaped like spiders with feathers on them. Then the spiders started crawling under his clothes, buzzing as they went. To the people outside, they just saw Matt start to scream a bit. However, the screaming shifted into uncontrollable laughter.

"What's going on?" asked Draco.

"If I had to guess, I'd say he's being tickle-tortured," said Chip.

A fire blast shot out one of the air vents further down and several spiders jumped out yelping. Draco picked one up and said, "Hey, tickle-bugs, I've heard of these things before." The ticklebug looked at Draco before jumping up Draco's nose. "Ah...ah...AH-CHOO!" Draco sneezed the ticklebug out as a small fireball.

Matt managed to pull himself free and jumped down, looking worryingly calm. Of course, Chip had known Matt long enough to know that beneath this falsely-calm exterior was a seething cauldron of rage, looking for the slightest excuse to erupt. Matt said, "Would anyone object if I vaporized that little matchstick?"

Draco had also spotted the signs and muttered to Jackie, "If you value your eyebrows, say yes."

"Well, he survived falling into lava, I don't think he can be destroyed," said Jackie.

"Arse to that, I try harder," said Matt, his eyes blazing red before he walked out the door, blasting it down as he went out.

Just then, Jackie's cell phone ringed and he answered it, "Hello?"

"Uh, Jackie, is Matt around?" asked Contrinus' voice.

Jackie looked at the hole Matt had made, the edges still glowing. "He just left," he said, managing to keep his voice from shaking.

"Well, I suppose now wouldn't be a good time to tell him about Chloe," said Contrinus.

Jackie said in a smaller voice, 'I don't think so.'

Chip said, "I'll go get him. Come on, Draco. If we catch that puppet first, maybe Matt won't destroy half of section 13."

"Well, he may destroy it anyways," said Contrinus, "Because Chloe fell through one of the grates."

Jackie slowly let the phone drop from his ear. "Bad day," he said

…

Meanwhile, Chloe was trying to find some way out of the ventilation system. "I can't believe I was so stupid," she muttered, "All I had to do was walk around the grate. But did I? Nooooo...I had to try to walk over it and fell through the holes."

In front of her, the Monkey King puppet ran into view before he jumped a laser bolt.

Chloe paused and said, "Uh, did I just see what I think I saw?"

The Monkey King ran towards her and by, yelling, "The bugs have really got worse in the last few millennia."

Chloe stared after him and she said, "I think I might want to consider seeing a psychiatrist. All the years of craziness are catching up to me." At that a spiderbot ran round the corner. "Of course, seeing is believing," said Chloe before running. The spiderbots were not really evil, but Chloe didn't want to find out what they'd do if they found her without dragon powers and a lot closer to their size.

After a minute running, she was alongside the Monkey King. "So...come here often? Oh man, I've picked up Matt's insane tag lines," she said, adding the last part to herself.

"Hey, a tiny human," said the Monkey King, "Aren't you missing your butterfly wings?"

Chloe glared. "Shut up before I trip you up and watch the spiderbots turn you into dollhouse furniture!" she yelled.

"Would that be your dollhouse?" asked the Monkey King. Chloe glared before concentrating, making her hand turn to dragon form. The Monkey King laughed, "Hah...I think I met your big brother..."

Chloe glared and said, "I assure you, I'm twice more vicious than he is. Just because I'm small right now..." Suddenly, her hand reverted back to its human form. "Ah nuts," she muttered.

The Monkey King laughed and got ready to blast her, only for a spiderbot to literally jump on him, causing him to go through the vent.

"Well, now that termite-bag's gone, I can work on getting out of here. Not to mention work on some payback for Matt..." Chloe paused when she heard a munching sound. She looked over her shoulder to see a rat at the same time it stopped munching on its stolen cracker and looked at her. She and the rat stared for a second before fleeing in opposite directions, both thinking the words _'THAT DID NOT HAPPEN!'_

…

Meanwhile, everyone was looking all over Section 13 for the Monkey King puppet. Jade joined in both out of concern of what he'd do if he got full-sized and partially out of boredom. Chip was partnered with her. "Look...I really think this it's worth sitting out. It's not like he's just gonna drop in," he said.

A thudding sound was heard above them. "What was that?" asked Jade before an overhead air vent opened and the Monkey King puppet tumbled out and landed on Chip's head.

"I hate bugs...especially metal ones," said the Monkey King, dizzily, having landed head first.

"I have a feeling that this is not a rat on my head," said Chip.

The Monkey king screamed, "GAH...TALKING TRASH CAN!" before falling down into Chip's grip.

"Hah...so much for a threat," said Chip, eyeing the puppet smugly.

"Hey, you watch what you say," said the Monkey King, "Nobody likes a trash mouth." He then pointed his staff at Chip's mouth and zapped. A second later, a large amount of garbage started pouring out of it.

The Monkey King puppet laughed Chip to hold in the trashheap that was quickly forming on the floor. "That's not funny," said Jade in a stern voice.

Monkey King froze up at that voice. "Oh crud," he said. The last time held met a person with that voice, he'd been trapped as a puppet for a few dozen centuries.

He turned slowly to see Jade glaring down at him. "Make it stop, now," she said.

Monkey King shook his head at that. "Man, I need to get out more...I thought you were...never mind..." he said.

Jade picked the Monkey King up by his cape and said, "You've had enough fun for today. Not you're handing back that Talisman."

"Oh, don't tell me you're going to RAT out on me," said the Monkey King.

Jade glared. "What's that supposed to..." she began before her eyes crossed at a snap. She turned slowly to see a mousetrap on her tail. "Ow," she said.

The Monkey King puppet took advantage of this and slipped out of Jade's grasp. "As much as I'd like to make another divine being look like a fool, I've got a bunch of mortals to make fools out of first. See ya," he said before running off.

Chip glared, "That's it. Nobody turns me into a trash dispenser...HE'S MINE!" before having what could only be called a 'Matt moment' and charging off in pursuit.

"Right behind you," said Jade before using a small fireball to incinerate the mousetrap on her tail.

Kala had just woken up from the nap she took after her little 'cat-astrophe'. She walked out, a cup of coffee in hand in time to see the Monkey King charge by with Chip, his optic glowing cherry red in anger with Jade bringing up the rear. She peered at her coffee before saying "That's it...I'm going back to bed."

"Get back here, you primate prankster!" shouted Chip as he made swipes at the running puppet.

The Monkey King retorted, "And let the emerald wonder turn me back into a lifeless puppet? Not a chance."

Just then, Matt, Jackie, Draco, and Contrinus walked into the hallway up ahead. "Hey guys, you've seen the-" started Matt before he and the others were knocked aside like bowling pins as Chip charged through them.

Matt for once was on top of the pile. "I think that's a yes...Hey, Kala," he said, calling to Kala who, despite everything was watching with amusement. After all, everyone likes a laugh in the morning. "...wanna come help us burn a puppet?" he added.

"You mean that monkey?" asked Kala, "What's up with him anyways?"

"I'll tell you later," said Matt.

Kala shrugged "Sure, why not?"

Up ahead, the Monkey King was knocking several things down to act as obstacles for Chip. However, Chip was able to jump over them easily. The Monkey King rolled his eyes as Chip blasted a hole through the latest obstacle. "What's it take to stop that tin can?"

Suddenly a sneaky look appeared on his face and he called, "Hey Tin Man! Bet ya can't catch me!" He then jumped high into the air, spinning a summersault.

Chip glared. "When I get my hands on you," he said, reaching out. His arm extended longer as he reached up with it. The Monkey King saw it coming and dropped down to the floor. "Oh no, you don't," said Chip as his arm followed and grabbed the puppet. But in his anger, he forgotten Jackie's warning and grabbed him by the leg, pulling him back.

The Monkey King started laughing at that. Chip glared, lifting MK up and readying a buzzsaw attachment. "What's so funny?" he said. The Monkey King just kept laughing as his eyes glowed red. Then pink smoke started to swirl around the two of them. Chip suddenly remembered the warning and had time to find a word to cover his feelings. "Oh...smeg." he said, quoting Matt's favorite explicative.

The others ran up just in time to see the pink cloud. "Oh boy," said Jade.

Then the cloud cleared and a life-size flesh version of the Monkey King jumped up. "Hello San Francisco," he called, "The Monkey King is in the house!"

Matt glared, "Oh, shut up," before firing his blaster's clip dry at MK.

However, the Monkey King briefly turned into a flamenco dancer and dodged the blasts while dancing. "Ole," he called.

Matt glared and pulled out his ion staff. "Which arm don't you need?"

Monkey King just laughed, "A star wanderer...you're just as uptight as the ones I met last time."

Matt paused at that and asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I'd like to stay and chat, but history's so boring," said the Monkey King, "Besides, I've got a trinket to swap." He then jumped over them and then cartwheeled through the door.

"KILL THE MONKEY!" yelled Matt before charging off in pursuit.

Draco however had found Chip...so to speak. Surprisingly, Chip was still life-sized, though he wasn't that tall to begin with. However, he was obviously a puppet, judging by his inferior wooden construction. "Chip, talk to me, buddy," said Draco, "Say something."

Jackie said, "He will need the Rat Talisman to speak until we can get the Monkey King to pull his leg."

"Where is the Rat Talisman anyways?" asked Jade, looking around.

"Presumably the Monkey King still has it," said Contrinus.

"But didn't he mention something about a 'trinket to swap'?" asked Kala.

Jackie said, "The vault...he's going after the Talismans."

"Oh no," said Kala, "One nutball with all twelve was bad enough this morning. I'm not letting a nutball that has a fully functioning brain have them."

The group arrived in time to see the two guards black had put on the vault, apparently tied up with wrapping paper, a sign on them saying 'Do not open until Xmas'. Matt simply ran by and into the vault.

The Tiger Talisman nearly hit his forehead. The Monkey King was plucking up Talismans before throwing them over his shoulder. "Dragon...Horse...Rooster...Pig...Dog...Bingo!" He grabbed the Monkey Talisman and held it up. "So that's how Beppo could do those animal tricks. Well, like they say, monkey see...monkey do!" He turned around and fired a blast from the Talisman.

Matt ducked the blast. "Hah...missed me...oh," he said, turning to look at where the blast had gone. Oddly enough, the blast deflected off of Jade, who was the initial target, and hit Kala. Kala only had enough time to twitch before she shrank down and became a monkey.

Draco said, "Oh boy...he shouldn't have done that," covering his eyes with a claw. Matt looked at Kala in numb shock.

"Not that bad on the eyes," said the Monkey King, "But I think she's more my type than yours now, buddy."

Matt turned to look and, for the first time since he'd upset a Celestial all those millennia ago, Monkey King took a step back. "Now, look bud...can't you take a joke?" he said worriedly before Matt screamed insanely and flying tackled him, starting to hit him over the head with the closest object at hand...a fire extinguisher.

"You think we should stop him?" asked Jackie.

"I'm not getting anywhere near that," said Draco.

Matt by now was pinning Monkey King with one hand and hammering him with the extinguisher with the other screaming 'SAY UNCLE...SAY IT!" However, on the last swing, the fire extinguisher slipped out of Matt's grasp and flew away, hitting Draco in the head. Matt looked at the only piece he was left holding, the handle, before back at Monkey King.

"You know, you really need to lighten up," said the Monkey King, "You shouldn't go APE on me."

Matt yelped and ducked back before the 'Talisman' suddenly opened up and made an airhorn noise. "Psyche!" said the Monkey King laughing. Matt growled and was about to attack again when the Monkey King blasted Matt down the corridor.

"As much as I'd like to stay and get revenge, I have a kingdom to reestablish. TTFN, ta-ta for now," said the Monkey King before jumping over the group and running out into the hallway.

Matt was grabbed before he could chase the Monkey King. "NO...I DEMAND REVENGE!" he yelled

"Matt, charging out in blind anger won't help anything," said Jackie.

"Anyways, where's the Rat Talisman?" asked Draco, looking around for it among the others that the Monkey King had tossed aside.

"That walking toothpick turned my girlfriend into a monkey!" said Matt, taking a few deep breaths.

"Uh, didn't he say he had a 'kingdom to reestablish'?" asked Jade.

Matt shrugged. "I'll give him a kingdom alright...of intensive care," he said, his eyes narrowed

Kala suddenly started hopping up and down and started chattering. "What is she trying to say?" asked Jackie.

"Do I look like I speak monkey?" asked Draco.

Matt glared at Draco before looking at Kala and saying, "You want to kill that jerk too?"

Kala nodded vehemently before continuing to chatter. "Ok, we're gonna either need an interpreter or some other means of communication," said Contrinus.

"Fine, we catch the monkey...and let the spiderbots shave him then vaporize him," said Matt darkly.

Just then, Draco called, "Found it!" He held up the Rat Talisman and asked, "So, how does this work? Do I just put it inside him like this?" He open Chip's chest door, which now showed a hollow interior, and put the Talisman inside it before closing it.

Matt mentally counted, having lived with experiments for a while so was not surprised when Chip's first words were, in Tantalog, 'I'M GONNA KILL THAT MONKEY!'

"Great, now that we're all on the same mindset, let's go stuff the monkey...in a cannon," said Matt.

…

Meanwhile, the Monkey King was having a tiny bit of trouble getting out of Section 13, having technically never gone there. "Where's a good ol' exit sign when you need one?" he said to himself. He peered around. "I shoulda taken the Pig Talisman too," he said to himself.

Just then, his sharp ears heard someone tapping on glass and calling, "Hello? Hello? Matt? Are you going to let me out now?"

The Monkey King walked into a room, absently hitting the two marines from Matt's crew who reached for their guns when they saw him to see Morph in a double layered glass orb. "Hey...are you a new crewmember?" he said to MK.

"Actually, I'm visiting royalty," said the Monkey King.

"You haven't got a crown." said Morph, sagely...or what he thought sounded sagely.

"I'm having it polished," said the Monkey King.

Morph peered at Monkey King. "Matt doesn't like royalty...ever since that nasty accident involving that hypnosis ray and Checkers," he said

"Oh, I'm not staying long," said the Monkey King, "In fact, I was just looking for the exit."

Morph said, "Have you used the stairs?"

The Monkey King slapped his forehead and said, "Of course, the stairs. Why didn't I think of that?"

"Erm...could you get me out, bud? I'm really bored and you could probably use a guide," said Morph.

"Why not? You scratch my back, I scratch yours," said the Monkey King before spinning his staff around. When it stopped, it was now a mallet.

Morph said, "Uh oh," before pulling a hardhat out of his mouth and putting it on. The Monkey King jumped up in the air before bringing his hammer down on the glass orb. Morph yelped before finding the 'acid' had turned into lemonade. "Nice..." said Morph

"Great, now about that back scratching, you start between the shoulder blades," said the Monkey King. Morph gave him an odd look. "What? You think I was joking about that? It's not an easy spot to reach."

One of the troopers had gotten up and had his radio out, "Captain...that creep's in Morph's..."

"Hey, don't RAT out on me," said the Monkey King before firing the Talisman at them.

Morph clapped, "That was a cool trick."

"Keep on clapping," said the Monkey King, "You're about to look real cute with a pair of cymbals." He then turned the Monkey Talisman on Morph and blasted him with monkey magic.

The smoke cleared to show Morph covered in soot. "That tingled...do it again," he said, cheerfully. The Monkey King looked confused before firing it again. Morph was even more singed after that. "Oooh...you're trying the magic on me too. It doesn't work on me or NegaMorph unfortunately," he said, still not sensing anything malicious in the attacks.

"Good to know," said the Monkey King, making a mental note to make sure this...slug didn't get in his way later, "Now about that exit route, pal."

Monkey King turned when he didn't get an answer and was horrified to see Morph talking into the comm. "Yeah, he's right here, Matt...yeah, I'll wait here...I dunno why you need a chainsaw though...wouldn't that hurt him? He is royalty...now I'm sure there is no need for that language," he was saying.

"Whoa, look at the time," said the Monkey King, "I need to be going and I think you need to get back to your little glass home."

"Oh...but I don't want to be surrounded by acid," moaned Morph.

The Monkey King grinned and said, "Don't worry, you won't," before blasting Morph with his staff.

…

A few minutes later, the door into the room exploded inwards and Matt in his hybrid form punched the rest of the door aside, holding a chainsaw from the maintenance bay. "Hereeee's Matty!" he said, his eyes twitching.

However, the Monkey King was gone. The only things unusual were a pair of rats waving and squeaking near a snowglobe. Matt walked over to the snowglobe and wiped some of the steam off to see Morph, wearing a Santa outfit.

"Morph? Then that means..." He turned to the two rats and said, "Let me guess, Mr. Monkey zapped you two."

The rats seemed to glare at that. Matt turned to Morph. "Where did the walking rug go?" he said.

"I pointed him towards the exit," said Morph, pointing.

Matt looked at where Morph was pointing and smirked toothily. "You sent him the wrong way," he said.

"Did I?" asked Morph. Then he noticed Kala on Matt' shoulder. "Who's the monkey?" he asked.

Matt said, "That's Kala...that's why I want to introduce Mr. Monkey to Mr. Chainsaw."

"Oh," said Morph, "Can you let me out of this thing? It's cold in here."

Matt blasted the snowglobe. "There, you're out...and you're going to help us get Chip's body back," he said.

"Why? Did Mantichrome steal it to make a robot army?" asked Morph.

"Nothing that hi-tech," said Chip, stepping into view.

Morph stared for a minute before screaming. "PUPPET!" he screamed.

"Yeah, that's another reason we need to find the Monkey King, to change him back," said Matt.

Morph suddenly jumped out decked out like Rambo. "GET THE EVIL PUPPET-MAKING MONKEY!" he yelled before charging off...sadly in the wrong direction.

"Couldn't have said it better myself," said Matt before pausing and saying, "You know, I get the nagging feeling I'm forgetting something." Kala hopped on Matt's shoulder and started hooting. "Not now Kala," said Matt.

"She says you're forgetting about Chloe," said Morph.

"You speak monkey?" asked Chip.

"Well someone in the family has to," said Morph.

Matt stopped as a very significant thought penetrated his mind. "I'm dead," he said simply.

…

Meanwhile, Chloe finally found a vent she could go through. It was a simple matter to lift it up and slide out. She landed down in a corridor before looking around. "Ok...first I find a place to cure this...then I kill Matt for forgetting about me," she said darkly. She walked down the corridor, which now took her much longer than before. "Ok, I need to find better transportation," she said.

She walked round the corner to see a cat wearing a section 13 security uniform. "Ok...that's new," she said, confused. Then she heard a bunch of yelling and she looked into one room where a bunch of monkeys were jumping around and screaming. "Is it Monkey Madness Monday already?" she asked.

She ducked back as what looked like the real version of the puppet she had met in the vent cartwheel into view. "I should have known. This is probably Matt's fault...it usually is."

"Ah, my public adores me," said the Monkey King, "Still, it's getting kinda crowded in here. I oughta get out more."

Chloe however had gotten close to his tail and eased it into a socket. "I may not be able to shock you myself...but I know a few tricks," she said before clicking the power on.

The Monkey King jittered as he lit up like a lightbulb before flying forward into a wall.

Chloe buffed up an imaginary shine on her nails. "Don't mess with a Shar-Khan," she said to herself.

The Monkey King pulled himself off the wall and said, "Ok, who's been playing Looney Tunes?"

Chloe ducked back out of sight before spotting a spiderbot on the roof over the Monkey King and making motions to it to get the monkey. The spiderbot saluted before scuttling forward.

The Monkey King peered down before hearing a scuttling and looking up in time for the spiderbot to drop onto his face with a 'wheeee' noise. The Monkey King screeched before trying to pull the robot off his face. The spiderbot laughed insanely and just gripped tighter before running multiple charges through its legs.

The Monkey King screamed before finally pulling the spiderbot off and throwing it away. "Buzz off, you bug me," said the Monkey King before aiming the Monkey Talisman at the spiderbot. The blast hit the spiderbot...which turned into a real spider, complete with still glowing eyes. The Monkey King said, "Not much of an improvement," before the spiderbot jumped on him again

The Monkey King pulled the laughing spider off before saying, "Don't you have some flies to catch?" and flicking it away.

The spider pointed up to see a much larger spiderbot glaring.

"Well, I'd like to spin a tale, but..." said the Monkey King before waving his staff and making a spiderweb appear around the spiderbot. The spiderbot tried to cut through before giving up, folding out a flamethrower and blasting the Monkey King's head with it.

The Monkey King shook off the soot and said, "I don't have time for this. The concrete jungle's just begging to be made into a real jungle and I'm the magic monkey to do it."

Chloe peered out. "I think it's time I went and got my brother, the walking plasma cannon," she muttered before trying to sneak off, only to step on a miniature banana skin and fall on her back. "Ow, I can't believe I fell for that old one," she said.

Just then, a hairy hand picked her up and she found herself looking in the Monkey King's face. "Hey, it's Thumbelina," he said.

Chloe glared. "Touch me and my brother will not rest till you're space dust," she said, darkly.

"I suggest you enjoy the ride, it's gonna be a bumpy one," said the Monkey King before turning his staff into a drill. "If I can't find the exit, I'll make a new one."

Chloe glared, "Why the hell do you want me to come?"

"For laughs," said the Monkey King before he started drilling through the ceiling.

Matt and co. ran into view at that. "Hey, monkey boy!" yelled Matt.

"Going up," said the Monkey King before jumping up through the hole he made.

"MATT!" yelled Chloe as they went up.

Matt peered up the hole. "Did...that creep just steal my sister?" he said numbly.

"And I think he's gonna rebuild the Animal Kingdom in San Francisco," said Draco.

"We must kill him," said Matt darkly.

"Uh, Matt, don't you think that's taking it too far?" asked Jackie.

"He took my sister...nobody hurts my sister..." said Matt.

…

Meanwhile, Chloe was not enjoying herself. "So basically, you wanna animalize the entire west coast. What's so funny?" she said.

"Didn't you notice?" said the Monkey King, "I have a weird sense of humor."

"I know weird humor. I presume you've met Morph. You're just weird," said Chloe.

"You really need to lighten up, girly," said the Monkey King, "I've seen guys fall over dead from being so tense."

"Huh...I bet you couldn't even reverse this spell I'm under," said Chloe, getting an idea, "But then again...if it's below your skills..."

"Like I'd fall for that reverse psychology mumbo jumbo," said the Monkey King, "I'm the Master Trickster, I practically invented hoodwinking."

"Oh...such a shame, I guess you really are underpowered," said Chloe, sounding quite sincere.

"I'm just getting warmed up," said the Monkey King before saying, "That building over there? You think I should go with a covering of vines or make a big tree grow out of it?"

"I think you're an idiot," said Chloe, scathingly

"Nobody likes a critic," said the Monkey King before grinning and saying, "You know, you should really see the city. From way up high."

Chloe said, "What are you..?" before she was blasted and found herself tied to a helium balloon.

"Keep your arms inside the bonds at all time and watch out for sharp objects," said the Monkey King before letting the balloon go.

Chloe glared, "Never mess with a dragoness. We remember things like this."

"I say you're full of...hot air!" said the Monkey King before laughing at his poor joke.

It was at that point that a tiny mental voice for him said, '_Hey...what if the shrimp's serious? Remember the last time we pranked a dragon?_'

'_Hey, that was different. Those snooty Celestial guys are long gone. Besides, she and her brother were those village-burning types they have in Europe. Totally different classification._'

'_So? That just means we get incinerated instead of the puppet treatment? Remember? That was why we never went to Paris,_' said the voice.

'_Those overevolved lizards can't be that bad._' Then the mental conversation was brought to an end by a small mushroom cloud appearing nearby.

The Monkey King turned to see what looked like a western dragon hybrid coming towards him, a blue fireball in his hand. "Of course, this isn't the first time I've been wrong," he said

"Ok, Cheetah, where's my sister?" growled Matt.

The Monkey King looked up, ignoring the mental voice saying smugly, '_Told ya so._' "Oh, she's just hanging around," said the Monkey King.

"Specify or vaporize," said Matt.

The Monkey King smirked. "Oh...she's having a balloon ride," he said, before ducking a plasma ball. "Man, you guys can't take a joke?

Just then, the others came up behind Matt. "Matt, maybe you should take a minute to calm down," said Chip, "Particularly since he can't pull my leg if he's ashes."

"So I'll leave his arms intact!" said Matt manically.

"Let's try a little diplomacy before we start blasting," said Jackie before stepping forward and saying, "You have things that don't belong to you. Return Chloe and the Talisman at once."

The Monkey King's eyes narrowed and he suddenly smirked evilly. "Chan...haven't seen you since Hawaii...where's the pipsqueak?" he said.

"None of your business, fork over the goods before I finish talking," snapped Matt.

The Monkey Kong said "What?" before Matt sent a plasma blast at him that sent the Monkey King flying back and through a wall.

"Smooth move, Matt," said Chip, "Now I'm stuck in Toyland forever!"

Suddenly, the Monkey King stepped back out of the wall, obviously shaken, but unscathed. "I do my tanning at the beach, thank you very much," said the Monkey King.

Matt looked at his hand and shook it. "Bloody thing's on the blink again. You're supposed to be smeared," he said

"Ha, like you'd ever have the firepower to do that," said the Monkey King, "I am the Great Sage Equal of Heaven, if a heavenly furnace couldn't do me in, nothing can."

"No...you're just an idiot," said Matt.

The Monkey King glared, "You're as bad as your sis."

"Yeah, the only time Matt laughs at a bad guy is when he's humiliating him," said Draco, "Now where's Chloe?"

Chloe's voice came from above, yelling "GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!"

The group looked up to see the balloon floating away. "I'll go get her," said Contrinus before flying up. Matt turned angrily on Monkey King, his eyes glowing pure red, not even pupils visible.

However, everyone's concentration was broken when there was a loud shout of 'JACKIEEEE!' They turned to see Uncle coming towards them. "What is going on here? Why is Monkey King back? What is with jungle plants? How can Uncle shop for spell ingredients when store clerk has been turned into orangutan?"

The Monkey King snapped out of it first. "Oh look, it's the old man," he teased.

"Uncle, what you doing here?" asked Jackie.

"Was getting ingredients for restoration spell," said Uncle, "I have almost everything I need. Only need two purple tail feathers. Where is Chloe?"

Draco pointed up to where Chloe was letting out some verbal relief in the form of every Avalarian swearword in existence.

"Can Uncle not turn his back for one minute without everything going topsy-turvy?" snapped Uncle.

"Ah, put a sock in it, you old goat," said the Monkey King before zapping Uncle. In a flash of light, Uncle was replaced by a very surly-looking billy goat. Matt took advantage of this to grab the Monkey King's arm and start trying to pull the Talisman off him. "Paws off," said the Monkey King, "The shapeshifter power belongs to me."

Draco said, "Yeah right...you don't deserve that Talisman." Matt nodded in agreement before headbutting Monkey King

"Don't deserve it?" said the Monkey King before leaping away and climbing up a streetlight. "Looks like someone flunked magical history," he said.

"What are you talking about?" asked Jackie.

Chip muttered, "Here we go...cue the villain's own personal biography."

"A brief pause in our fight to shed light on the real nature of 'Talismans of Shendu'," said the Monkey King, before creating a cloud which acted like a projection screen:

"Ages ago, when the old world was coming to order, the top Buddha guy declared that twelve animals must fill in the zodiac. The twelve presented themselves before the Buddha and received their positions in the order they showed up. There's a rumor or two that the cat was going to come with the rat, but the rat cheated him out of it."

Morph said, "So that explains why rats are always running from cats..." before Draco squashed him.

"Anyhow, when the first twelve got listed up, they received a divine magic relating to their nature; like the sturdy ox, the fast rabbit, the sneaky snake..."

Draco said, "And the heat-vision pig?"

"You know, I've wondered about that too," said the Monkey King, "The Pig was last in line, maybe all the sensible powers got taken. Or maybe the Buddha had too much to drink by then, I don't know."

Matt glared. "Get to the point, chimp," he said

"Well, those first twelve were special animals, but they couldn't last forever. So when they passed on, their powers went to the noblest animal worthy of that power. Kinda like that Dalai Lama guy," said the Monkey King.

Chip said, "I don't think the Dog power worked that way."

"Yeah, I think the immortality went to direct descendents," said the Monkey King, "The Noble Dogs were pets of the Emperors as I recall. Anyways, I was next in line for the Monkey power when a wet blanket of a dragon got miffed at me and put that stupid puppet curse on me."

Matt thought about some of the dragons he'd met, "Yeah...we do have tempers."

"So this stone's staying with me," said the Monkey King, "I am the grandest of all apes, you know."

Jade seemed to twitch at that before her eyes glowed white and she said in an echoing voice, "You have misused your power and are not noble enough for such a gift." The Monkey King yelped and nearly fell off the streetlight. Jade continued, "You have no more Noble Right to the Zodiac power than Shendu does. The whole reason he received the Dragon Power was by default."

Matt grinned and grabbed Monkey King's tail as he turned to run. "Hey, where do you think you're going? You like jokes, so you get to pull Chip's leg," he said with a smirk.

"Oh, big talk from the guy who's got a Celestial dragon on their side," said the Monkey King.

Morph said cheerfully, "Oh, she's not a Celestial dragon. She just has an amulet stuck on her neck that turned her into one...what?" saying the last part as everyone except MK glared at him

"The Vang Xian Necklace, eh?" said the Monkey King, "So the old codgers managed to make that thing after all." He took a close look at Jade and said, "And unless my monkey eyes are wrong, the Necklace chose the little brat to wear it."

Matt however decided to take advantage of this. "Yoink!" he said, snatching the Talisman off MK.

"Hey! Give that back!" snapped the Monkey King.

"Make me," said Matt before tossing the Talisman to his other hand.

"Don't you play 'monkey in the middle' with me," said Monkey King, "Hand it back or you're in for a world of hurt."

Matt laughed, "Yeah right, fuzzy...you and what army?...oops."

The Monkey King smirked before grabbing his tail. He plucked several hairs off of the tip before blowing them up into the air. He pointed his staff at the drifting hairs and shouted, "Change!" A blast of magic came from the staff and the hairs landed on the ground as a small army of monkeys, identical to the Monkey King in appearance except smaller and with no clothes.

"Oh, you have got to be kidding," said Matt before looking disgusted. Matt looked hesitant for a minute before putting the Talisman in his mouth. He gagged for a few seconds, but he managed to get it down his throat.

The Monkey King for the first time in history looked speechless before saying in a dull voice, "I can't believe you did that."

"Neither can I," said Matt. Suddenly, Uncle bleated loudly and butted Matt in the rear. "Ow! What was that for?" asked Matt.

"Um, I think it might have been something along the lines of 'Why did you have to swallow Talisman? How can you expect me to cast restoration spell without hands?'" said Chip before turning to Uncle and asking, "Is that about right?" Uncle glared at Chip at that.

Matt however was laughing insanely. "Haha...try and get it now, you jumped-up, banana-eating wacko," he said.

"Boys, turn him inside out," said the Monkey King, pointing at Matt. The monkeys screeched before charging at Matt. Matt yelped before running for it.

Just then, Contrinus flew back down, with Chloe on her back. "Where's Matt?" asked Chloe. Draco pointed at where Matt was being chased by a large band of monkeys. "Huh, reminds me of our last mission," said Chloe.

Matt turned this time and sent a plasma blast at one of the monkeys. The monkey burst into pieces. But then those pieces formed into even smaller monkeys. "Oh, come on...where the hell are the spiderbots when you need them?" said Matt.

"So what do we do?" asked Jade.

"Grab the Monkey King?" suggested Jackie.

The Monkey King also had a similar idea, reaching out and grabbing Chloe off Contrinus's back.

"Get your paws off of her, you damn dirty ape," said Draco. The others looked at him. "What? Like you guys haven't been fighting the urge to say that."

"Not just yet," said the Monkey King, "I need something to give up so her brother will cough up."

Chip said, "You have nowhere to run. Matt literally can't give up that Talisman. We've got no laxatives."

"Oh, I can wait," said the Monkey King, "My boys are very quick at their work." A chainsaw revving could be heard nearby.

There was suddenly a 'wheeee' noise and three of the monkeys came back into view at extreme high speed. "Matt has his own 'boys'," said Chip.

Just then, a small army of spiderbots came around the corner, one of them blowing a battlehorn. The Monkey King looked surprised before the entire mob jumped on him. A blast of magic blew them off. "Don't crowd the King," said Monkey King before running towards a nearby clock tower. He jumped up and started climbing it.

The spiderbots all got up again and looked to Matt. Matt said, "Kill the monkey." The spiderbots all chittered and charged off after the Monkey King.

However, as soon as they got near the clock tower, tiny artillery guns appeared on it and started firing at anything near the base. Matt watched as the spiderbots' tiny attention span got the better of them and they started attacking the guns instead. "Smegging spiderbots," he said before saying "How the hell are we supposed to turn him back now if we...?"

Just then, Matt's eyes flashed a blast of magic came out of his hand. The blast happened to hit the spiderbot that the Monkey King had transformed earlier, changing it back to normal.

Matt peered at his hand in sheer terror while Jade said, "Wait...this is like when I accidentally swallowed the Rooster Talisman."

Draco said "How did you swallow a Talisman the size of one of Matt's grenades?"

"It fell into my soup," said Jade, "You don't chew that stuff."

Matt was butted by Uncle and jumped on by Kala. "One at a time!" he yelped, falling over.

"Hurry up," said Chip, "I want to flesh and blood again. Oh wait, I wasn't before, but you know what I mean."

Matt aimed at them and said, "Erm...turn back?"

A flash of magic and both Kala and Uncle were human again. Uncle walked over and slapped Matt. "Why did you swallow Talisman?" he scolded.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Let the monkeys get it?" asked Matt.

…

Meanwhile, Chloe was sulking. "I know you're just ripping off 'King Kong' and I am not going to be Jane," she said stubbornly.

"Are all you dragons killjoys or is just something that runs in your family?" asked the Monkey King.

"Explain to me why I should care what you think," said Chloe.

"Cause I'm bigger than you," said the Monkey King before dangling Chloe over the edge, "And I bet you can't fly right now."

"I once saw my brother's dark side vaporize indestructible alloy. Draconus would go through you like a hot knife through ice," said Chloe, with a smug grin.

"Like he'll ever...huh?" The Monkey King looked up to see a biplane fly besides the clock tower, with Jackie, Uncle, and Chip in the cockpits.

Chloe actually laughed at that sight. "You know...that actually is funny," she said.

The biplane swooped near again. "Don't ask where we got the plane from," said Chip.

Chloe said, "Fix this situation or I will haunt you."

"Hold your horses," said Uncle, "Very hard to concentrate on spell while flying." He looked in his bag again and cried, "Ai ya! Still don't have purple tail feathers!"

Jade looked around quickly. She had no idea where to find feathers right now and she wouldn't be able to tell if they were tail feathers or not. She suddenly looked at Contrinus, more precisely her tail feathers. "Contrinus...go to Uncle. You've got the last ingredient," she said.

"What?" asked Contrinus.

"Just do it!" called Jade. Contrinus took flight and flew up to where the biplane was circling. She perched on the side of the cockpit and said, "Jade sent me to-" she started when Uncle abruptly plucked two of her purple tail feathers off. Contrinus let out a squawk of pain.

"Uncle needs these," said Uncle.

Contrinus glared, "Smegging potions," before taking off again

Uncle then added the feathers to the mixture before dipping a fig branch into it and started wagging it while chanting.

Chloe at the same time began to twitch. "Bleaugle?" she said as the magic did its work.

"Hey, what's up with you?" asked the Monkey King.

Suddenly, Chloe started to take up more space in his hand as she started to get bigger. Chloe said "Finally...oh crap." she said, her happy tone vanishing when she remembered that the clothes she was wearing weren't growing She could feel the doll's clothes rapidly becoming too small and start to tear. "Guys, I'm starting to lose my decency!" called Chloe.

"Go dragon!" called Chip.

Chloe remembered that before grinning evilly. Suddenly the Monkey King was holding onto a small part of a fully grown electrical dragoness, smirking evilly. "Oh, uh, so the shrink spell was keeping you from going full dragon," said the Monkey King.

Chloe grinned wider and said, "Yes, and now it's time to play."

The Monkey King grinned nervously, "Erm...can't we talk about this like civilized people?" before Chloe chomped him, fitting the entire person into her mouth. Only Monkey King's staff stopped her from crunching him up. "Trust me, I don't really taste that good, and I don't settle well!" called the Monkey King. Chloe simply roared angrily and tried harder to bite down.

"Chloe, I still need him!" shouted Chip.

Chloe said, "Ow...ow ight!" her voice distorted due to her mouth being open, her instead spitting MK out on a lightning bolt and into the sidewalk below.

The Monkey King barely got to his feet when he got squeezed in a large paw. "Now, let's see how you like being the tiny one," growled Chloe.

The Monkey King whimpered just before Chloe literally landed, all four paws first. Matt, who was finishing off the last mini MK winced as Chloe proceeded to vent her store of stress on the luckless immortal. "You know, I was going to smash him all around the city," said Matt, "But I don't think I can compete with her."

"When will she stop?" said Jackie weakly.

Matt shrugged. "At her current level of 'pissed off-ness'? A few hours at least," he said,

Just then, the Monkey King landed near them. "Ok...ticking off dragons...major bad idea..." groaned the Monkey King.

Matt, still in hybrid form, pinned him with his foot. "Ok...you wanna surrender? Or should I thrown you back to my dear sister?" he said.

"Ok, ok, you've made your point," said the Monkey King, "But you can't blame me for wanting out of wood."

"Tough, try not being a jerk, maybe you'll be given parole then," said Matt, before catching Chip who had been carried down by Contrinus. "Pull it or else," he said.

"Well, I suppose a few more years as a puppet is better than a few more hours in pain," said the Monkey King before yanking one of Chip's legs.

Matt watched as the smoke covered the two before being blown aside to reveal Chip in front of the Monkey King puppet. Matt picked him up and said, "So tempting to blast him to ash."

"You can try if you want," said Chip, taking the Rat Talisman, "Doubt you'd be able to do anything."

Matt shrugged before putting the puppet in his wrist comp's storage for the trip back to Section 13. "I have an entire city and secret base to change back...what fun," he said sarcastically.

"Now that the Monkey King is again imprisoned, his magic will soon fade and leave no traces," said Uncle, "But the Monkey Talisman is another matter. You have dozens of people to change back so get cracking!"

Matt said, "I know...I don't need reminding..." accidentally adding under his breath "...you old goat."

A blast of magic came out of his eyes and Uncle was again a goat. "Whoops," said Matt, "Forgot how much of a hair trigger this thing had."

Uncle bleated angrily before headbutting Matt in the stomach. Once Matt was on his knees, Uncle jumped up and started stomping on Matt's back.

"Er, shouldn't we help him?" asked Draco.

"Oh, Matt will be fine," said Chip, "Besides we've got other things to worry about."

"Like what?" asked Draco. Just then, Chloe landed near them, still growling angrily.

"Like the fact that Chloe still has a lot of stress to blow off," said Chip.

"Uh, I better go bring the Rat Talisman back to Section 13," said Jackie, picking up the Talisman.

"I better tell Lao to get the stomach pump ready," said Kala.

"I didn't anger you before," said Jade before the three of them quickly left.

Draco and Chip stared up at the growling Chloe. "Uh, for the record, those genie and ballerina suggestions were only just suggest-" started Chip. However, Chloe's temper was taking no prisoners and she blasted them both.

"I almost prefer the Monkey King," said Draco.

* * *

There's another chapter. A bit shorter than the others, but very entertaining. Particularly since I've brought back everyone's favorite prankster: the Monkey King. I did a little of modification, adding in some things from the original Monkey King, namely the title 'Great Sage Equal of Heaven' and the hair trick. I also provided for a small clarification to the nature of the Noble Animals. I plan on doing a larger piece on the subject soon. But the main point of the chapter was for laughs. Hope you enjoyed it. We'll be back on Demon Sorcerers on Wednesday so there'll be plenty of action. Keep an eye out for it and please review.


	10. That's How the Wind Blows

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 10: That's How the Wind Blows**

Despite Drago's absence, Jade was getting better control of her dragon powers...for the most part. However, like any teaching session, there were good times...and then there were what Matt called 'Grade A screw ups'. One such Grade A was taking the form of section 13's very own indoor monsoon.

"Jade, you do know it's unlucky to open an umbrella indoors, right?" said Matt, "And on that same page, IT SHOULDN'T BE NECESSARY!"

Jade glared back. "Yeah...like you haven't had trouble. Chloe told me about the extra door to your room and how it was made."

Matt said, "I had a cold, ok?"

"Anyways, I don't get what's the big deal," said Jade, "It's just some water."

Just then, Morph went by in a little rowboat. "Hi guys," he said before he kept rowing on.

"Yes...in an underground facility. You know what that is? Somewhere where water DRAINS TO?" said Matt, finally snapping.

"Well, why don't you do a dry spell or something, Mr. Nova Dragon?" retorted Jade.

"Because I'd destroy half of the base. Can't you just...tell it to stop?" said Matt.

"I've been trying to, but I think it's gotten all sorcerer's apprentice on me," said Jade.

Matt glared up at the clouds and said, "You gotta show it who's boss...I can't believe I said that."

Just then, Morph came rowing back, paddling much more frantically. "Gangway, gangway, gangway!" he shouted as he passed them.

Matt watched Morph row round a corner. "Why's he in a hurry?" he said to himself.

Just then, there was a roaring sound heard and the two of them turned to see a wave of water coming towards them. Riding it on a surfboard were Draco and Chip. "Cowabunga!" they shouted.

"Oh hell," sighed Matt before the wave hit them.

Not long after that, Captain Black called for a staff meeting after everyone had a dry set of clothes on. "This is insane. I thought you were supposed to have the necklace off," he said, tired for good reason. When a tidal wave sweeps you out of your office, you tend to be stressed.

"Hey, dragon magic's hard to remove," said Jade.

"Couldn't you have snipped the link or cut the clasp?" asked Captain Black.

Matt said, "We've tried everything that we can use without removing the head as well. Nothing worked." Capt Black looked skeptical till Matt waved to Techo who dropped a pair of industrial padlock cutters, with their blades smashed.

"Well, given our insurance doesn't cover internal storms, particularly of the magic variety," said Black, "If something's not done soon, I'm afraid I'll have to ask Jade to move out of Section 13."

Matt said, "Now hang on..."

"HA CHA!" Everyone jumped and turned around to see Uncle. "Uncle has found spell we needed," said Uncle.

"To get the dragon charm off?" asked Matt.

"No, to keep Jade's weather powers at manageable level," said Uncle.

Matt whimpered before banging his head on the desk a few times. Chloe said in a deadly calm voice, "Anything else?"

"One more thing," said Uncle, "Uncle has been researching for possible powers Xian Vang Necklace may have that does not require change of wallpaper afterwards."

Matt had his face down on the desk, saying in a tired voice, "Good...now we just need wallpaper."

Chloe glared at him before saying, "That's good. No more late night water slides or mid day blizzards."

"As well as being bringers of rain and creatures of great strength and speed, the Chinese dragons were known as being symbols of prosperity," said Uncle.

Matt shot upright at that. "As in cash?" he said hopefully.

"Possibly," said Uncle, "Might be crops, might be money, luck is hard to predict."

"Luck?" said Matt, the hope rising like a thermometer in the desert.

"If you are thinking of taking Jade to a casino, think again," said Jackie, "No matter what she looks like right now, she's too young to gamble."

"No...you have no idea how my life has been. I'm thinking of a Murphy's Law free day," said Matt with a dreamy look.

"Not till she's 21, really 21," said Jackie.

"I don't care about that. I just want ONE DAY...without something evil trying to kill me...PLEASE!" said Matt, breaking out in hysterics at the last part.

"Welcome to my life," said Jackie.

Matt's comm beeped at that, making him scream, "I'M NOT ANSWERING IT! IT'S PROBABLY GODZILLA!" before throwing it at Chloe and running out.

WARDEN's voice came out of the comm, "When Matt's over his little hissy fit, you may tell him that things are getting extra windy in Chicago."

…

**Chicago**

Matt said, "So...where's the luck?" looking over at Jade. The two were on a skyscraper roof with a good view of the rest of the city.

"Dragons don't need luck for hunting," said Jade.

"You'd be surprised," said Matt, peering out at the city. "I'm talking about the luck that gives me a day off for freaking once." he added sulkily.

"You don't have any down times?" asked Jade.

"Nope...being a half-dragon mercenary sucks," said Matt.

"Tch, what could suck about that?" asked Jade, "Fighting monsters of all kind, seeing the galaxy, that would be totally cool."

"EVERY day...every damn day," said Matt, his eye twitching.

"What about vacations?" asked Jade, "And the paydays?"

"No vacations," said Matt, gloomily.

"You're joking," said Jade.

"I wish I was. Of course, sometimes you get days like this: an army of robots that have never even singed you, led by a guy with the brain power of a cheese sandwich to vent all that frustration on," said Matt, gesturing to the city. The reason they had come to Chicago had not, surprisingly been because of Ghoulwyrm...instead being the Empire team from several weeks ago instead.

"So, if they have an army of robots, why aren't they blowing stuff up or something?" asked Jade.

"Because the NSC at the Antarctica base would pick up the ships needed and the entire NSC fleet would vaporize them," said Matt simply.

"So why are they here in Chicago?" asked Jade, "By the sounds of them, they'd go for some place bigger, like Washington DC."

"They were the guys you met when Drago got loose," said Matt.

"The ones with the big ugly black monster?" asked Jade.

"Yup...and the suave idiot with a blade like mine," said Matt.

"Didn't you say those blades are ultra-rare?" said Jade.

"Yup...Anton's older then he looks." said Matt.

There was a long pause before Jade said, "Ok, this is getting both boring and drafty. Doesn't anyone know where to look?"

"Uncle said he needs more research. He and WARDEN are racing...again," said Matt, adding "Still...it's not like they'll come to us..." before hearing something and pulling Jade into cover.

Jade said, "Wait...what are you...?" before Matt pushed her down out of sight as an Empire dropship flew into view before landing on the helipad and a dozen or so droids jumped out, followed by Anton.

Matt ducked down just before Anton looked at their cover of a rooftop vent. "Your luck's broken...this isn't good luck," he hissed at Jade.

"Hey, you wanted to find these guys and now you've found them," said Jade.

Anton however was talking on his comm. "OmegaMorph...we're in position," he said.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" replied OmegaMorph.

Anton glared. "Sorry...'general'," he said, adding, "We're in position and the droids are setting up the dimensional cutter laser."

"Are you certain you know what you're doing with that thing?" asked OmegaMorph, "Would want to carve into the wrong dimension, would you?"

"It's easy enough. We'll either cut to the underworld or get its portal frequency," said Anton in a tired voice.

"Just try not to make a big flash," said OmegaMorph, "We don't need unnecessary attention."

"I'll be fine..." said Anton, before adding, "Why aren't you gracing us with your 'expertise'?"

"Reassignment," growled OmegaMorph, "Apparently, the Empire wants its officers on as many different missions to gather...biological resources as possible."

Anton smirked. "Well...you enjoy that..." he said before turning it off.

A droid said, "We're ready to begin, sir. The cutter will transmit the frequency to any wrist computer within 100 meters."

"Very well," said Anton, "Begin at once. We've got some demons to collect."

Matt and Jade peered out before a green beam shot out, making a multicolored whirlpool appear in the air. The droid in charge said, "It's not stable. We will need more power for the stable portal...but we will have the frequency in 5 seconds."

Anton smirked as his wristcomp chimed loudly and a frequency code appeared. He was about to say to leave when he heard another chime from nearby. Anton paused and said, "Droids, can you do a quick bio scan of this rooftop?"

The droids all beeped before their optics glowed green...and they then all aimed at a vent on the other side of the roof. "Two organics detected...One class 3 magi organic and one class 20 magi organic," said the lead droid.

Anton raised an eyebrow. "Class 20 you say? Then care to explain why you didn't notice them before?"

"You did not order us to scan," said the droid.

Anton slapped his forehead and said, "Ok, two things. First of all, as a standing order, you are to scan the surrounding area of every landing spots for possible intruders/spies. Second, seize those two."

The droids began to advance on the vent. "You will surrender or be destroyed," said the lead droid before twitching...and exploding.

Anton pulled out his ion blade and called, "Let me guess, it's you there, right Matt?"

Matt peered out. "Yup...nice light show...does it do movies?" he said.

"Well, one movie I'm working on is 'Demon Sacrifice' and guess who's going to be the star?" said Anton. Matt stuck his tongue out before trying to blast the bots. Anton laughed and said "I upgraded a few of them. No plasma control for you. Oh...and these ones CAN kill you, let me demonstrate."

"Bet they aren't crash-proof," said a voice before Jade leapt out and did a flying kick on one of the droids, causing to fall over the side of the roof.

Anton jumped back at that. "What the hell? I thought you guys were trapped in that bunker dimension," he said.

"That what?" asked Jade.

"Not a good time to be confused," said Matt.

Anton said to the droids, "Shoot her till she stops squealing." The droids all leveled their cannons and fired at Jade who shielded her face, the blasts all being deflected an inch from her.

Jade eventually opened one of her eyes when she noticed she wasn't getting hit. "Whoa, the books didn't mention anything like this," she said.

One of the droids said, "Error...magi deflection field detec-" before Matt cut one of them in half.

Another droid said, "Hey...no cheating," before aiming at him.

"And you call yourselves Empire droids?" said Matt before sending a plasma orb at the droid's head.

Anton however was taking advantage of Matt's distracted nature to advance on Jade. "Hmm...not bad looking. If I didn't have to kill you, I'd definitely date you," he said, changing to his anthro dragon form as he advanced.

"Sorry, I swore off dating bad guys," said Jade before conjuring a snow flurry to blow in Anton's face.

Anton glared. "Hmm...all flash, no substance. Has Matt been teaching you? This is how a dragon fights," he said, sending a sonic blast out.

Jade had her shield back up, but she was still knocked two feet back. "You want flash? I'll give you flash," she said before throwing a white fireball at Anton.

Anton grunted before staggering back. "Gah...you little wyrm," he said before blasting her off her feet. "It's a shame Taleth didn't do a good enough job helping to chase you freaks off," he said.

Suddenly, Jade's eyes flashed white again. "You have betrayed your own kin and sown misery on this world," she said in an echoing voice, "You are no longer welcome on this world."

Anton looked confused. "Oh crap," he said before someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"It's worse than you think...this is yours," said Matt, giving Anton a droid head that said, "We lost, sir," before Matt kicked him back.

Anton looked at Matt and decided to at least rouse some tempers out of this. "A bit greedy, aren't we, Lynch?" he asked, "I thought you already had a girlfriend."

Matt said, "I do...bye," before kneeing Anton Megan style and pushing him off the edge of the skyscraper.

Anton was so shocked by the sudden pain that he nearly forgot to unfurl his wings and stop falling.

Matt peered over as Jade walked up, a bit unsteadily as she got full control back. "He's going...going...oooh and he's just pulled out of the dive," said Matt.

"Didn't you say something about the Shar-Virk working against the Empire?" asked Jade.

"They work against everyone...unless it benefits them in some way. Talking of which...let's see what we got off 'em," said Matt, walking over to the dimensional cutter. "Cool," he said.

"What is it?" asked Jade.

"I don't know," said Matt, "But I'm about to." He activated the dimensional cutter, but not at full power. The beam it produced created a small portal and a fish-like creature tumbled out of it.

Matt looked confused before sticking his head in the portal and pulling it back it what looked like a demonic jellyfish on it. "Definitely hostile," he said in a muffled voice as the creature looked around.

"Oh...back here again?" it said in an English tone of voice.

"You again?" asked Jade. The creature looked at Jade before screaming and running back into the portal.

Matt pulled the jellyfish off which made a 'whee' noise and jumped off the skyscraper.

"Uh, did shouldn't we have sent that jellyfish back to the void from whence it came?" asked Jade.

"Nah," said Matt, "I have a feeling that it'll go permanently splat once it hits the ground. Nothing to worry about."

The door to the roof burst open at that and Chloe, Kala and the rest of the gang came out. "We handled it...and nothing vital exploded this time," said Matt cheerfully.

"Where'd they go?" asked Kala.

"Over there, over there, over there, and I think they're also over there," said Jade, pointing around the roof.

Chloe said, "Nothing blew up, eh?" glaring at Matt who shrugged.

"I said nothing vital exploded."

"What's that you have there?" asked Chip, looking at the device in Matt's hands.

"Something that might get McNeil to listen to us and get some support," said Matt.

"How so?" asked Chip.

Jade said, "That Anton creep said it was called a dimensional cutter."

"A dimensional cutter? You mean something that could alter the time-space?" asked Jackie.

"Portal maker...a flying brainsucking jellyfish came through," said Matt before noticing Chloe's furious glare

"You let that thing out in Chicago?" demanded Chloe.

"Oh, it's probably road pizza by now," said Matt.

The group looked at the edge as a faint 'wheeee' was heard and the jellyfish flew back into view, apparently enjoying itself before flying out of sight.

"What do you know, it really can fly," said Matt.

Chloe glared before hitting Matt. Techo however looked down at his comm. "Hey, it's McNeil," he said.

That immediately caught both Chloe and Matt's attention. Having not yet captured the Empire forces would not make them look competent. And in Matt's case, letting loose an interdimensional jellyfish creature would look even worse.

"I want an update," said McNeil and he jumped back as Matt screamed "I SEE NO JELLYFISH...PROVE IT!" only to be tackled to the ground by Kala and Techo.

"Er, we've managed to disarm, and disleg, a fair amount of Imperial droids," said Chloe, "Not to mention acquire a rather unique device that was on their possession."

"Is it something to do with the dimensional instability at your location?" said McNeil.

Chloe said, "It's some kind of space-time device. Looks like they were trying another demon portal with it."

McNeil seemed pleased with that. "We'll have a team secure it at once. It's probably not the only one. Find its twin device and destroy it along with any notes."

"Uh, the dimensional instability you just mentioned," said Chloe, "Does that mean that Chicago's more vulnerable to...unexpected visits?"

"I don't know, we've never even heard of this technolo..." said McNeil before he had to lean away from his comm as Chloe said loudly, "WE'LL MAKE SURE THERE'S NO MORE JELLYFISH...I MEAN PORTALS!"

"Yes, well, also I advise you to hold back on your...dragon powers," said McNeil.

Chloe said, "Ok...why?"

Matt said, "Because they're allergic to facehugger jellyfish...ooph!" Chloe pushing him back down.

"Because the dimensional walls in the Chicago area have been severely weakened by their prodding," said McNeil, "Enough energy focused in one area, particularly magi energy, could create a major reality tear."

Matt managed to push his way back into view, a manic look on his face. "Then, the day of the jellyfish begins..." he began before Chloe lost all patience and hit him over the head with her rifle.

"We'll try to keep Hell off Earth," said Chloe.

McNeil nodded. "Good...but if I even suspect you of slacking off, I'll have your hides," he said before terminating the connection.

Chloe gulped and asked, "Matt, do you have that jellyfish yet?" She turned around, only to see that the jellyfish was now covering the top half of Matt's head.

"Get the peanut butter," said Matt.

Chloe was about to grab it when Matt sneezed and was electrocuted by the jellyfish that proceeded to fly off again. Chloe glared at Matt and said, "Matt, get that jellyfish or we lose our jobs."

Matt said, "Yes, Commander Marmite," before falling sideways.

"Uh, maybe we should check out the rest of the city," said Chris.

Chloe gave him a suspicious look. "Er, to check for any more anomaly leaks," he added.

Chloe sighed. "Fine...if you see an electro jellyfish...shoot it," she said.

…

Not long after that, Jackie, Kala, and NegaMorph headed to the Art Museum. "They say that some artists get their inspiration by inadvertently painting another realm," said Kala, "If that's true, the weakened space-time fabric could turn them into portals."

NegaMorph scoffed and said, "Of course 'they' is referring to crackpot conspiracy nuts who don't use the right drugs."

NegaMorph looked over to see Matt talking to Techo saying, "You heard NegaMorph. We'll need the Pulse RAD cannons."

NegaMorph said, "I rest my case."

Jackie however said, "I have been hoping for a chance to see that collection.

"Which collection?" asked Kala.

"The Far East exhibit, duh," said NegaMorph.

"Do I question your hobbies?" retorted Jackie.

"You'd be better off not knowing," said NegaMorph.

…

Anton however wasn't happy. "Stupid blob...back in my day, we'd have vaporized him for insulting me. Taleth would have gutted him," he muttered

He had gotten off the 'phone' about OmegaMorph, who was intensely displeased about the loss of the dimensional cutter. OmegaMorph hadn't exactly yelled...more taunted.

"Why did I have to be the mole? Surely Taleth could have found someone else to do his dirty work," grumbled Anton.

A droid came up. "Sir...the secondary device is prepared and ready," it said.

"Have you got the dimensional frequency set?" asked Anton.

"We have keyed in the file from your wrist comp. Sir, I must advise against this course of action. General OmegaMorph will be back in a week..." said the droid.

"I am not waiting for that pompous overgrown wardog," snapped Anton, "We're getting this demon. I will override any attempt to undermine, the manual way. And if that's not enough, it's the recycling bin for you lot. Do I make myself clear?"

The droid said, "I simply want to make clear that, thanks to Capt Lynch, we are undermanned."

"Well, we can always salvage more of you," said Anton, "Especially if we melt you down for smaller versions."

The droid made a sighing noise, "Very well...we will proceed."

"Good. Keep on guard," said Anton, "Bottom dollar says that Murphy's Law will try to intervene."

"We will be on guard for Murphy's Law enforcement units," said the droid.

Anton paused and said, "Are VIs capable of using sarcasm?"

"Negative," said the droid.

"Ah, well, carry on then," said Anton.

Anton walked in as the portal was forming. The lead droid said, "The portal has stabilized...however many of the subjects seem to be unable to use the portal."

Anton said, "Probably that old man's chi spells."

At that moment, a huge face came through, making even the droids take a step back. Anton looked shocked. "What the hell?" he said, before saying "Retune the portal...quick,"

"Mmm... wrapped candies," said a deep but surprisingly feminine voice on the other side.

"Erm...I'm sorry...we're low in fat," said Anton nervously.

An enormous green hand tried to reach through the portal, but it got wedged about halfway through.

"TURN OFF THE PORTAL!" screamed Anton, in terror.

"We can't, it's jammed," said one droid.

Anton yelled in terror before sending a blast of sonic energy out to force the hand back through. "YOU'RE TOO BIG, GO THROUGH ANOTHER PORTAL!" shouted Anton in a display of panic that was disturbingly similar to Matt's.

The hand vanished back before one of the droids said, "Thank the motherboard...hmm...another target approaching."

"Mass amount?" demanded Anton.

"Compatible," said the droid. Anton gave a sigh of relief.

A shape began to appear on the other side. "Finally...I'll get the respect my species deserves," he said to himself before a perimeter alarm light appeared on his wrist comp.

"Oh, not now," moaned Anton.

The droid said "Perimeter units under heavy fire...warning...power destabilizing...Capt Lynch is locking onto the plasma core of the cutter."

"You'd think the research team would have learned to put a dragonproof covering on all their plasma cores by now," said Anton.

The shape said, "Who are you? What is the meaning of this?"

"Can we keep pleasantries short? We're on a rapidly shrinking schedule," said Anton.

"That is no way to address the mighty demon sorcerer, Xiao Fung," said the shape, starting to take solid form.

A nearby explosion caused the portal to ripple. "Do you want out or not?" snapped Anton.

Xiao Fung seemed to consider it. "Very well," he said.

A purple hand emerged from the vortex before another explosion sounded right nearby. Suddenly, the portal started to rapidly shrink. "No...you fool..." said Xiao Fung. The portal soon shrank to a point where Xiao Fung either had to pull back or lose a hand. He opted for the latter.

Anton roared angrily at that. "That...FOOL!" he said as Matt and a squad of the Bladestorm's marines ran in.

"You rang?" asked Matt.

Anton roared angrily, shifting to fill dragon form and blasting Matt and his squad over before leaving via the roof...but not before blasting a structural support in the hope the building would crush Matt.

"Geeze, someone's in a bad mood today," said Matt.

…

Anton finally landed a few miles away and flew into a draconic tantrum. Luckily nobody was within range to see the damage. "HOW? HOW? IT SHOULDN'T BE POSSIBLE FOR AN IDIOT TO BE SO...LUCKY!" he roared, smashing an abandoned building down. "FOR ONCE, FOR ONLY ONE SMEGGING TIME, CAN'T HE EVER LOSE!" he bellowed.

His wristcomp, mistaking it for a request said, "Registered weaknesses for Capt M, J Lynch: Capt Lynch is known to show extreme ineptitude against magical methods."

Anton paused and said, "Come again?"

A list of incidents hacked from the NSC showed dozens of magical incidents Matt had caused or failed to stop.

"Hmm...interesting, but irrelevant. My own magical skill's a century out of use," said Anton.

"Local reports indicate that subject 'Ghoulwyrm' is within the vicinity," said the wrist comp

Anton grinned and said, "Like Taleth always said, 'When in doubt, let some oblivious sap do the work for you'."

…

Not far away, another portal was in progress. Drago watched as Ghoulwyrm worked at the portal to summon Xiao Fung. "How long will this take? I'm sure I heard explosions earlier," he said.

"The Shadowkhan are actually meeting very little resistance with this one," said Ghoulwyrm.

The two stopped as they heard the doors into the warehouse they were using open and a figure holding a ion blade walk in.

"Figures Matt will show up," said Drago.

The figure chuckled darkly. Ghoulwyrm said, "Crap, it's Draconus. I'll deal with him."

Suddenly, the sound of Drago screaming and bones cracking caught Ghoulwyrm's attention. One eye swiveled back to see Drago in a position painful for anyone but a yoga master, which Drago was clearly not.

The figure pushed him out the way. "Zyvar...you've fallen on worse times then me," said the voice.

"Anton? What brings you into town?" asked Ghoulwyrm.

"I need your help with a little demon recruiting. Of course, if you don't, I'll tear your spine out and give it to Master Taleth," said Anton.

Ghoulwyrm turned his other eye towards Anton and said, "I'm sort of in the middle of something. Can't this wait-" Suddenly, the shadowy portal flared up. "Wow, that was fast," said Ghoulwyrm.

Anton turned before squeezing Ghoulwyrm's throat so he couldn't speak till it was healed.

Then several Shadowkhan emerged from the portal, the ones with razor sharp fingers and pointed feet. They were soon followed by a demon resembling a large purple toad that walked on his knuckles like a gorilla with green growths on his head and back and wearing black bracers, pants, and curly toed boots.

Anton said, "Xiao Fung...we didn't get a proper introduction last time."

"You again?" said Xiao Fung, "Who are you?"

"Colonel Anton, at your service. Me and my assistants freed you," said Anton smoothly before absently punching Ghoulwyrm's backup mouth before he could speak out.

"Word has been among my kin that my prodigal nephew has been seeing to our attempted liberation," said Xiao Fung.

"You mean the scaled pretzel? He cannot be doing a good job," said Anton, pointing to where Drago was getting up, unsteadily.

"No, wait, wait, wasn't it the necromancer who was aiding us?" asked Xiao Fung.

"My assistant...he was acting on my orders," said Anton, covertly making a gesture to Ghoulwyrm to go along with it unless he also wanted a little 'yoga'. Ghoulwyrm glared at him but with his temporary muteness, he couldn't call Anton out on it. Anton continued, "I decided, seeing as he kept screwing up, I'd come and handle things...personally."

Ghoulwyrm gave a silent cry of outrage and electricity started crackling on his lightning rods.

To add injury, Xiao Fung seemed to agree. "Indeed...I had a feeling that this necromancer was obviously an underling," he said.

Ghoulwyrm's eyes blazed and fire started flickering out of his mouth.

Anton smirked at Ghoulwyrm before hearing Xiao Fung's next words. "Since you are the master here, I suppose you would be more worthy of becoming my apprentice," said Xiao Fung.

Anton's smile abandoned face at that. "I'm sorry?" he said. It was Ghoulwyrm and Drago's turns to grin this time.

"Well, Shendu's proven to be less...dependable recently. What with his two disappearances in the last few years," said Xiao Fung, "So we need agents of our own in the mortal realm to make sure he does not think about leaving us out of ruling the world. Someone more dependable than potentially traitorous offspring."

Anton said nervously, "Now...I'm sure there are people more suited then me."

Ghoulewyrm got his voice back at this though and said, "But I think you'd be perfect...'boss'."

"Consider yourself privileged," said Xiao Fung, "Now many have experienced such Wind powers are you're going to receive."

Ghoulwyrm actually let a tear drop. "This is gonna be beautiful...nothing nice ever happens to me usually," he said to Drago.

"Uh, sorry, I've, er, got to have my tonsils looked at," said Anton before turning around and finding himself facing the Razor Khan.

Ghoulwyrm said, "But that's not till next week," before finally laughing Matt style.

"Now hold still," said Xiao Fung before breathing out a black mist towards Anton.

Anton twitched as the mist flowed around him before down his throat. "If I live through this, you're dead," said Anton to Ghoulwyrm.

…

At the art museum, a pair of patrons were peering closely. "Very interesting," said one, "I'd say it's a representative piece, exemplifying how man is a twisted creature beneath his outer shell. But I can't quite place it's style."

The 'piece' turned to glare at them. NegaMorph (for it was he) glared and said, "It's my style, get lost." The two of them jumped before walking away rapidly. "Stupid art nuts," muttered NegaMorph.

Matt wandered up, looking nervous. He just got back from foiling Anton's second attempt at releasing a demon and had come to the museum to meet up with Kala. "I don't like being weaponless. I feel naked somehow," he said.

"Matt, you can make my head explode with a snap of your fingers, you'll be fine," said NegaMorph, "Besides, I don't there's gonna be a gunfight in an art museum."

Matt covered NegaMorph's mouth and said in a twitchy voice, "Murphy is listening."

A bust turned to them and said, "Nobody here but us statues."

"See, nothing to- BWAH!" Matt and NegaMorph spun around to look at the now inanimate bust.

"Did you see that?" said Matt in a 'one inch from losing it' voice.

"No, only heard it," said NegaMorph, "At least I think I heard it."

Jackie wandered over to the two after that. "Is everything ok?" he said.

"The statue just talked to me," said Matt in a worried voice.

"Oh, that's crazy, Matt," said Jackie, "You're crazy."

"Yeah...all the talking statues are on East Wing," said the bust before saying "What?" to the shocked trio.

"Uh, this really happening or have the years of excitement and stress driven me mad?" asked Matt.

"Both," said NegaMorph.

Matt said, "Ok..." faintly before walking off a little stiffly.

"I did not think there were any magical artifacts here," said Jackie.

"If it was magical, don't you think it would have talked to someone before?" asked NegaMorph.

Kala walked round the corner looking spooked. "One of the pictures just wolf whistled at me," she said faintly.

"Take it as a compliment," said NegaMorph.

Kala said, "But pictures shouldn't talk."

"Not painted ones," agreed Jackie, "Something very weird is going on around here."

Kala nodded. "Maybe magic?" she said hopefully, given the alternative was that she'd gone totally crazy.

"I don't think these things are so much magic as they are enchanted," said NegaMorph.

"Excuse me?" asked Jackie.

"Someone's putting a spell on them, or something. Is Jade practicing her magic again?" asked NegaMorph

"She's not even here," said Jackie, "This doesn't seem like her.

Kala said, "It's probably some evil force that was inadvertedly brought to the museum where it is bringing the exhibits to life to run amok and rule the city," before she noticed their looks. "Was it something I said?"

"Oh please," said Jackie, "Just because some of the exhibits are coming to life, doesn't mean that something evil's in here." He was about to walk away when the curtain grabbed his leg, causing him to stumble and fall into a person was just walking around the corner.

The person said, "Jackie...fancy seeing you here."

Jackie took a better look and saw he collided with a woman with black hair, dark skin, and a semi-formal business suit. "Viper? What are you doing here?" asked Jackie, getting up before helping her up.

Matt had wandered back in this time. "I found a suit of armor that does charades...who are you?" he said, seeing Viper.

"Viper, a superthief," said Jackie.

"Ex-superthief," reminded Viper, "I do security consulting now, remember?" Jackie didn't look too convinced. Viper said, amused, "What brings you to Chicago, Jackie? Did you miss me?"

"No, I did not come here to see you," said Jackie, "In fact, it's none of your business."

"Geeze, why are you so uptight all of a sudden?" asked Matt.

"Oh, it's nothing, he just doesn't trust me because of my past career. Who are you?" asked Viper.

Matt said, "Matthew Lynch...everyone calls me Matt. I'm a professional mer...OW!" hopping as Kala kicked him from behind.

"And I'm Kala Triseptus," said Kala.

"Call me NegaMorph," said NegaMorph.

Viper froze and said to Jackie, "Jackie, there's a demon right there."

"I'm not a demon, I'm an alien," said NegaMorph.

"Right, and I'm a river goddess," said Viper sarcastically.

"I assure you, I grew up in a test tube, or seven to be exact. I...am...an...alien," said NegaMorph.

Matt said, "Trust me, he's an alien."

Viper turned to Jackie and said, "So where'd you pick up your new friends?"

"They turned up not long after that old book was stolen from the San Francisco library," said Jackie.

"Which old book?" asked Kala.

"The one that told about the Demon Sorcerers," said Jackie, "I knew I shouldn't have lent it out to them."

"Well...that explains how Omega-dufus found out about the demons," said Matt.

"Omega what?" asked Viper.

"OmegaMorph, he was made from my vivisected flesh and he's a living war machine," said NegaMorph in a sour tone.

Matt said, "Just a second, ma'am...company meeting," before pulling NegaMorph after him and round a corner. "I thought we agreed: culture shock is bad," he said.

"She obviously knows Chan," said NegaMorph, "She's probably seen weirder stuff than we think."

"That doesn't mean she's met aliens," said Matt.

"Which is weirder, demons or aliens?" asked NegaMorph.

Matt opened his mouth before pausing there. "Hmm...I dunno," he said

"Well, I'll tone it down, try to keep it as 'normal' as possible," said NegaMorph.

Matt shrugged. "Fine, let's go," he said, walking back into view of the others.

Apparently, the conversation hasn't improved much since they left. "After all this time and all we've been through, you still don't trust me?" said Viper incredulously.

"Once a criminal, always a criminal," said Jackie.

"You gave Tohru and Valmont's other former flunkies another chance," said Viper.

Matt said, "I agree. Take Nega, he's a complete kleptomaniac. That's why the safe on my ship has a landmine on it."

"Really?" asked Jackie.

"Oh sure," said Matt, "He'd steal anything not nailed down; picture frames, handguns, soaps, silverware, perfume bottles..."

"Your belt," added NegaMorph.

"My belt," agreed Matt before pausing, "My belt?"

Viper smirked as Matt's pants, minus belt, fell down. Matt glared at NegaMorph as he pulled them back up before snatching the belt back off him. "I know where you sleep," he muttered.

"Anyways, I was thinking of calling you anyways," said Viper, "As you may have noticed the displays are...doing they shouldn't be able to do."

Matt said, "We noticed."

The bust said, "Oh yeah...talk like I'm not here...cheek of some people...just cause they can scratch their own noses."

"Well, they're not doing anything harmful," said Kala, "All they're doing is freaking people out, right NegaMorph? NegaMorph?" They heard muffled screams nearby and turned to see NegaMorph's legs kicking out of a painting he was being dragged into.

Matt said, "How old is that painting?" as he pulled a blaster from a foot holster and then seeing their glares. "What?"

"Grab him!" shouted Jackie. They each grabbed a foot and started pulling back. Pretty soon, NegaMorph was back outside of the painting.

Matt said, "Speak to me...how many finger?" holding up his hand.

NegaMorph looked annoyed and said, "Would you stop shaking your hand around? I can't count them clearly."

Matt bashed the side of NegaMorph's head. "How is it now?" he asked

NegaMorph shook his head and said, "Better, thanks."

Matt said, "Ok...so now the paintings EAT PEOPLE!"

"That's a new one," said Viper, "I think we may want to close the museum until we find out what's causing this."

Matt was poking the painting. "Yeah...this painting's ok. What did you see, NegaMorph?" he said.

"Uh, you ever seen that one painting with all the melting clocks?" asked NegaMorph.

Matt said, "Well...yeah," before he looked at the painting.

"Pretty much like that, only with really twisted people grabbing me. They looked uglier than me," said NegaMorph.

Matt looked back at the painting again. "Ooookay…" he said, stepping away,.

"I'm going to talk to the curator," said Viper, "I need to give him a plausible reason to have the museum closed."

Matt looked up at a fire alarm and shot it, setting off all the others. "Oh look...a fire," he said dully. Viper glared at him. "What? You wanted a plausible excuse," said Matt. Already people were filing towards the exits. "Why don't they hurry?" said Matt, annoyed.

"Maybe it's because there's no smoke or anything to really motivate them into going," said NegaMorph.

Matt glared. "Right...set something on fire," he said.

"Let's focus on the big picture," said Viper, "Do you know anything that could have brought the artwork to life?"

"Couldn't be the Rat Talisman," said Jackie, "It's at Section 13 and can only bring one thing to life at a time, at least in talisman form."

Matt said, "Yeah...not much else that can do it. Maybe McNeil was right?"

"Right about what?" asked Jackie.

"He said that funky beam machine we wrecked mighta caused some dimensional problems...and I caught Anton trying to set up another yesterday," said Matt

"You think he had a third?" asked Kala.

"I don't think so," said NegaMorph, "Empire scientists rarely consider something needing a second backup. But something is making a disturbance in the fabric of reality around here."

"Could be residual, that device looked a bit experimental to me," said Matt.

"Or maybe it's that jellyfish you let loose," said NegaMorph.

Matt looked panicky. "Ixnay," he said desperately.

"You're letting demons into Chicago?" asked Viper.

Matt said innocently, "It's not a demon. It's just a jellyfish that can fly."

"Maybe its presence is disturbing the natural order," said Kala.

Matt said "Whose side are you on? Anyway, its not close enough...it;s have to be in the building to mess with the place."

Just then, a small spot on the ceiling burned open and the jellyfish creature drifted down. Matt knew it was behind him and said stubbornly, "That proves nothing..."

The creature made a squelching sound before latching onto the back of Matt's neck. Matt's eyes crossed before he said calmly, "It's sucking my BRAIN OUT!" screaming the last part and dancing around trying to pull it off.

"And me without my camera," muttered NegaMorph.

Kala, however, took a more thoughtful approach and grabbed the jellyfish with a fiery claw. The jellyfish made a happy squelching noise and the fire seemed to vanish...as did the claw, it changing back to human form before the jellyfish jumped on her face. Kala's screamed were muffled as she tried to pull the jellyfish off.

Matt tried to pull it off before his and Kala's skeletons were briefly outlined as the jellyfish lit up and electrocuted them before floating off with an annoyed snorting noise.

"Ok, that thing's a lot more powerful than it looks," said NegaMorph.

The jellyfish vanished via another wall, burning a way out with a hissing noise. The jellyfish turned back around and made what looked like a rude gesture with one of its tentacles before vanishing with a 'wheee' noise

"It's more intelligent too," said Jackie.

Matt said, "Why that little..." before trying to ignite a plasma orb...and failing. "Hey...what gives?" he said.

"Matt...I don't feel so good..." moaned Kala.

Matt said, "I think I'm about to..." before he grabbed NegaMorph's hat.

"Matt, no!" shouted NegaMorph before Matt emptied his lunch into it. "Ah man," said NegaMorph, "My hat is not a barfbag."

"Ah...much better..." said Matt, weakly.

"Not for me," said NegaMorph, "How would you like if I decided to hurl in your cap?"

"You don't get sick," said Matt.

"Want me to make you really sick?" retorted NegaMorph.

Kala moaned and said, "Not right now… I've got such a headache…"

Matt looked at her. "You look like hell...get back to the hotel before you need to be carried back," he said.

"Yeah… I need to lie down…" said Kala.

Matt said, "I vote we catch that jellyfish and mail it to Anton."

"And what do you plan to catch it in?" asked Viper, "That thing can burn through walls and it's got a nasty shock."

"Never say 'never'…" said Matt confidently before falling over as what was effecting Kala caught up with him.

"And know your limits," said Jackie before picking up Matt, "We better take them back. Maybe Uncle knows of a remedy."

…

"Does Uncle look like dragon doctor? How should Uncle know how to treat them?" snapped Uncle.

"Chinese medicine doesn't cover jellyfish stings? Ow!" said NegaMorph as Uncle thwacked him.

"Jellyfish stings, yes, demon jellyfish stings, no," said Uncle.

"I hope that thing eats Ghoulwyrm…" Matt said weakly.

"Can you least tell us what it did to them?" asked Viper.

"That I can do," said Uncle, "This creature apparently feeds off the energies of others. This feeding leaves its prey drained and exhausted."

Jackie said, "Like the chi vampire?"

Uncle said, "No, chi vampire steals all energy, this has left some behind."

"So it's going to come after us as well?" asked Jackie.

"I think not," said Uncle, "Human beings do not produce enough energy to feed the creature. It will only go after those who have inhuman energy."

"So why is Kala more drained than Matt?" asked Viper.

"Because Kala is less human than Matt or Chloe," said NegaMorph, "She has far less protection."

"How do we make it go away?" said Matt.

Kala agreed, saying, "Yeah...I don't want this thing turning up at the wrong moment…"

"I will devise capturing spell to contain the creature until we can banish it," said Uncle, "But first a locater to find it."

NegaMorph said, "Why not just have Draco stand outside till it turns up?"

Matt said, "Not a chance...it'll be even worse on him."

"Right, only a demi-human can be left standing after a draining," said NegaMorph, "We could get Chloe or Chris to-"

"No!" said everyone else but Viper.

"Nobody is using my sister as bait," said Matt, stubbornly.

"By the way, where's Tohru and Jade?" asked Viper.

"Tohru's watching shop," said Uncle, "Uncle can't leave shop closed every time Uncle has travel. Too much business loss."

"Ok, so where's Jade?" asked Viper.

Matt opened his mouth to speak when Jackie said, "She stayed in San Francisco...lots of homework."

Viper gave him an 'are you kidding' look. "Since when has Jade ever stayed behind?" she said.

NegaMorph said annoyingly, "Rumbled."

"Well, uh, you see," said Jackie before the bathroom door opened and let out a lot of steam.

Jade walked out in a dressing gown and said, "One nice thing about being a dragon lady, no water's too hot for you." Then she noticed Viper and said, "Viper, it's so cool to see you again!"

Viper just stared. Matt waved a hand in front of her face. "Culture shock," he said knowingly before yelling, "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Viper shook her head and took another look at Jade. She quickly noticed that she was now the same size as her, if you didn't take in the tail. "Jade? Did I miss too many birthdays?"

"Not really," said Jade, before taking out the necklace, "It's this magic necklace, it made all grown up and scaly."

Viper looked at the necklace and was about to reach out when Matt said "I wouldn't...it's very picky about who gets touchy feely rights."

Viper said, "It much be worth millions."

"Far more than that," said Uncle, "It is the Xian Vang Necklace, an artifact of the Celestial Dragons. It is a very sacred relic AND NOT FOR SALE!"

"Not like it can come off," said Jade.

"Take it from me...it ain't moving…" muttered Matt, who admittedly had also had cash-related thoughts about the necklace.

"Well, at least it looks good on you," said Viper, "Jade, I should take to this salon. They do miracles with hair."

"No thank you," said Jackie, "Jade has already had enough bad influence from you."

"Oh, not this again," said Viper and Jade at the same time.

Matt said, "Kiddies? Let's remember the problem at hand...time and space falling apart thanks to Bob the vampire jellyfish." He stopped as everyone looked at him. "I let it in...I can name it," he said sulkily.

"I think that name's taken," said NegaMorph.

"I don't care," said Matt sulkily.

His comm started beeping at that. "Sir and...old man...I have detected some interesting readings from an abandoned automobile factory on the outskirts of town," said WARDEN.

"Interdimensional jellyfish energy?" asked Matt.

"Demon energy actually," said WARDEN.

"Impossible," said Uncle, "Uncle would have known if there was demon in city." Just then, something in Uncle's bag started to glow. He opened it up and pulled out strings of Chinese cash which were glowing and spinning.

Matt said, "I think we have a problem."

"Demon sorcerer is near," said Uncle.

"Which one?" asked Jackie.

The coins spun a bit more before holding still. The top two layers had the same sides facing forward, but the bottom coins had opposite sides. "The trigram for wind, Xiao Fung is near," said Uncle.

Matt said, "So he's a blow hard...he can't be much worse than the last one."

"No demon is to be trifled with," said Uncle, "I must prepare a chi spell as soon as I can. You must go and find Xiao Fung."

"But you already know the chi spell- Ow!" said Jackie after Uncle whacked him.

"I know how to banish the Wind Demon. But I can't do so until I know which Shadowkhan were used to free him."

Matt said, "Fine...demon hunting time…" before falling down again, obviously still not fully recovered.

"You're in no condition for any hunting," said Jackie, "I'll go."

"Sounds like you could use some help," said Viper.

"No, I do not," said Jackie, "You can go now."

Uncle snapped at that, "Stop being stubborn like mule. Thief lady can help you."

"But, but," said Jackie.

"Relax, I'll call Chloe and Chris for backup," said NegaMorph.

"Oh, you aren't coming?" asked Jackie. "I have no bones or skin, remember?" said NegaMorph, "If that Wind Demon's like I think he is, he'll spread all over the walls like paint."

The others all shuddered at this lovely mental image. "Thanks for that NegaMorph...pass the hat," said Kala.

NegaMorph grinned before saying, "Sure," and handing her Matt's hat.

…

Sometime later, Jackie, Viper, Chloe, and Chris were heading in the direction that WARDEN had indicated. "So, how do we find a Wind Demon in the Windy City?" asked Viper.

"We're not after the demon, we just need to see which Shadowkhan he's using," said Jackie, "I would not want to stay longer than that."

Chloe said, "So...we just find and take a picture...easy."

"Tch, when is it every that easy?" The group turned around and saw Jade there.

Viper said, "That was impressive. You've gotten better."

Jackie finally snapped out of his usual speechlessness and said, "Viper, don't encourage her. Jade, you were supposed to stay at the hotel."

"Uh, it got kinda rowdy when Matt found out what NegaMorph did with his hat," said Jade, "Besides, you need my dragon luck."

Chloe said, "How do we know this 'luck' thing works?"

"It helped us find those droids," said Jade.

"Yeah...Matt wouldn't count that as luck. After all, that jellyfish thing got let loose shortly afterwards," said Chloe.

"Small detail," said Jade.

Chris said, "Look...this could take ages if we're lucky...I...what?" noticing everyone glaring.

…

Meanwhile, Xiao Fung had decided that he must assist with the releasing of his demon brethren. But first, he will need a headquarters, at least temporarily. So while he and his new apprentice searched for one, he sent Drago and Ghoulwyrm to find...appropriate decor for when they find it.

Ghoulwyrm said, "This is demeaning of a necromancer of my stature," as he melted the alarm on a shop.

"A necromancer? I'm a Demon Sorcerer," said Drago, "This is henchmen work. He should have just sent his new Shadowkhan."

"Shadowkhan have no personalities, no taste," said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago nodded before looking past Ghoulwyrm and dragging him into an alley with him. "What are you...mmph?" began Ghoulwyrm before Drago pointed as Chloe and Chris walked into view.

"Predictable," said Ghoulwyrm with his other mouth, "They're like fleas."

"Fleas with assault rifles...plus where she goes, her brothers probably not far behind," said Drago before pointing to two more silhouettes on the ground.

The two of them tensed, only for Jackie to walk by instead. Only Ghoulwyrm relaxed. "It's just Chan," he said.

Drago said, "Huh...we should deal with them...Ghoulwyrm?" He looked to see Ghoulwyrm with a crosseyed look and a jellyfish creature floating in front of a hole in said necromancer's forehead. "Loook...fiiishy…" said Ghoulwyrm in a dazed voice.

"Hello? Don't tell me you're undead and braindead," said Drago, snapping his fingers in front of Ghoulwyrm's face.

Ghoulwyrm said, "I see dead people," before falling over.

Drago glared at the jellyfish that was poking him with a feeler. "Buzz off, you little creep," said Drago, swatting at the jellyfish. The jellyfish made a squishing noise before going 'squeee' and jumping on Drago's face.

…

Chloe stopped as she heard a crash from an alley. "Cats," she said to herself.

"So how exactly are we to find a tribe of ninjas who are made of and can move through shadow?" asked Viper.

"We find the demon. Lord Ego probably has them all guarding him," said Chloe.

"Would be a lot easier if Uncle could make a locater spell," said Jackie.

"Locaters aren't that simple," said Jade, "Finding a magical thing is harder than finding a normal person, not to mention Uncle doesn't have anything that is related Xiao Fung." She noticed the others looking at her and she said, "What? I read Uncle's books."

Chris said, "WARDEN still has the location, we could look there."

"Is he that accurate?" asked Jade.

Chloe said, "He hasn't steered us wrong before."

"I hope he's better than a GPS," said Jackie, "Last time I used one, it told me that Wyoming was in the heart of the Sahara Desert."

"Nah...there was just one accident a few weeks before we came here...but that was Morph's fault," said Chris

Just then, Chloe's comm spoke, "It's rude to talk about me as if I'm not here."

Chloe glared. "How long have you been listening?" she said

"Just long enough to pick up the old man's...antiquated method of locating," said WARDEN.

Chloe glared. "Just grow up, you tin can. We need to find some of those Shadowkhan...preferably without being minced," she said.

WARDEN was silent for a few seconds before saying, "Hmm... This is more difficult than I thought. These Shadowkhan don't appear to stay in one location for very long. However, I picking up a collection of their magi energy near your location."

Chloe stopped at that. "Near our location?" she said slowly.

"The signal is scattered, but it's growing more focused, not that far from you, actually," said WARDEN.

The group all looked around at that. Chloe said, "I was afraid you were gonna say that."

Several red slashes appeared in the shadow, remind Chloe too eerily of eyes. Then figures emerged from the shadow. They resembled the Ninja tribe they've fought before, only skinnier, with pointed heads, spike-like feet, and fingers like daggers.

Chloe said nervously, "Oh...there they are."

"Ok, we know which tribe's working for Xiao Fung, bye-bye," said Jackie before they turned and ran.

Chloe and Chris took one look at the Shadowkhan before following at high speed. The Shadowkhan ran after them. Their pointed legs were a lot faster than the mercs would have expected as they rapidly approaching. "Crap, crap, crap," swore Chloe as their pursuers gained on them before she sent a lightning bolt at them over her shoulder. The Shadowkhan it hit burst into tatters of darkness.

Chloe was about to throw another when another Khan tackled her from the side. Chloe was knocked to the ground, tumbling a bit from the impact. "Ok, ow," she said. The Khan surprisingly was just holding her down.

"Miss Lynch, I was hoping my new friend would have grabbed your brother, but you'll do," said Anton's voice...though the voice sounded off somehow.

"Anton, I thought you blew out of town after Matt busted your toys," said Chloe.

"Funny that you should say 'blew'," said Anton.

Chloe quickly got that. "He didn't..." she began before Anton walked into view. Anton's armor had certainly changed. It was hard around the torso while baggy on the arms and legs. But his head drew the most attention, seeing how his face was purple, his eyes were red, and his cheeks and neck looked swollen, in a rather frog-like way.

Chloe stared and would have laughed had the Khan not had its claws on her chest. She did however manage to say, "What wrong? Got a frog in your throat? Or are you really toadying up now?"

"I'll be doing the puns here, Miss Lynch," said Anton, "For instance, you're not as tough as you think. You're light as a feather." His neck swelled up before he expelled a huge amount of wind from his mouth.

Chloe was thrown from the Khan's grasp and across the street. "Ok...ow," she said in an annoyed voice.

"And you know what's the best part?" said Anton, "Dragon power mixes with demon power very nicely." Chloe got up unsteadily as Anton shifted to his dragon form, it looking alot more demonic now complete with red eyes.

"Oh...crap," she said, slowly. Anton's throat swelled out like a frog's before he let out a powerful and long-lasting sonic blast. Chloe luckily managed to avoid it, which was just as well as the blast pulverized the wall that it hit. Chloe gulped and said, "Good combo."

Anton smirked, "And for my next trick...a demonstration of it on human flesh."

"Uh, sorry, gotta fly," said Chloe before changing to dragon form and taking to the air. Anton smirked before starting to suck the air in, forcing Chloe back towards his mouth. "Talk about a big mouth," said Chloe through gritted fangs as she tried to fly away, "Guys, a little help here!"

Anton stopped to say, "What are they gonna do? Tickle me?"

The others had their hands full with the Shadowkhan, as the rips on their clothing showed. Suddenly, Jackie's cell phone rang. "One moment," said Jackie to the Shadowkhan before taking out his cell phone, "Hello?"

"Jackiiiie...have you found out what clan Xiao Fung has enlisted?" said Uncle's voice.

"The really sharp ones," said Jackie, "With the knives for fingers."

"Ah, then we'll need Japanese silk," said Uncle.

"Where will I find Japanese silk in Chicago?" said Jackie panicking before the Khan cut his mobile in two.

Viper leaped back towards Jackie and asked, "So what did your Uncle say?"

"We will need Japanese silk and a fan to get rid of Xiao Fung," said Jackie, "But where are we supposed to find any silk, let alone Japanese?"

Viper said, "The art museum was hosting an exhibition of Japanese fans."

"Are they silk?" asked Jackie.

"At least a few of them," said Viper.

Chris punched a Khan down and shot it. "Close enough. CHLOE, LET'S GO! Chloe?" he said.

Chris looked back to see Chloe apparently flying backwards slowly. "Guys, I need help!" she yelled.

Chris looked to see Anton and jumped back. "Wow...that's new," he said before seeing a power line above Anton. He took aim at the power box and fired, sending a live cable onto Anton's back.

Anton roared with pain, causing him to lose his suction momentarily. Chloe shot away before landing on a nearby roof. "Oh, does Mr. Thunder not like lightning?" she said before spitting a lightning bolt at him.

Anton staggered back under the onslaught before roaring another blast at them. The blast threw them all back and made slam into the sides of the nearby buildings. "What big lungs you have," said Jackie.

Anton peered down at Jackie. "I also have some big teeth...wanna see?" he said before a plasma and firebolt hit him in the back at the same time.

Anton snarled and looked up to see Matt and Kala fly down in dragon form. "Hi, Anton...you look a bit ill...frog in your throat?" said Matt, circling.

"Your sister already did that one," said Anton.

Matt said, "Meh...I was just distracting you." Anton looked confused before another fireball hit the back of his head.

Anton growled before turning around to see Kala. "I see you're still the Emperor's toady," she said.

Anton growled and said, "I'm giving the orders now!" before firing a concentrated sonic pulse at Kala.

Kala rolled to avoid the blast and said in a taunting voice, "I've been practicing...unlike you. Your aim sucks."

"Who needs aim when you have range?" said Anton before sending sonic waves in every direction.

Everyone was knocked down. Unfortunately for Anton, it also caused a wall to collapse...on him.

"Ow, now there's an instant earache," said Matt.

"Let's go before he gets loose and decides to deafen us permanently." said Chris.

"WHAT?" yelled Chloe.

"C'mon, we need to get that fan," said Jackie.

"YES, WE'RE UP TO SPEED!" shouted Jade.

"Oh hell's bells...MOVE IT!" roared Matt. Everyone understood that and got moving.

Anton smashed his way out of the rubble a second later to see Drago and Ghoulwyrm. "And where were you fools?"

Ghoulwyrm pointed at him and said, "Froggy lizard."

Anton said, "And so you should be...what?" He looked at Drago. "What the hell's wrong with him?"

"A jellyfish burned a hole through his head," said Drago.

Anton said dully, "A jellyfish."

"It drained me of my energy," said Drago.

"A Convexity jeller? How in hell did one of those get loose?" said Anton.

"I don't know, maybe you let it out with your not-so-subtle knife," said Drago.

Anton glared. "No, it was locked onto the underworld, only if someone... Lynch, only he would be stupid enough," he said.

"Didn't he take one of those gizmos?" asked Drago.

Anton said coldly, "I hate that guy."

Just then, a literal voice on the wind said, "Apprentice, what is going on over there?"

Anton said, "A little problem...a magic eating lifeform has come through a rift and has lobotomized Ghoulwyrm and temporarily drained Drago.

"Ghoulwyrm's a vampire," said Xiao Fung's voice, "All he needs is some fresh blood and he can heal from his injury. Though his memory may be slightly impaired for a while. But this magic eater is a greater concern. I do not wish to see if it can affect a being like myself."

"It's obviously a baby. The adults would dwarf this city," said Anton assuredly.

"Then you should have no trouble in killing it," said Xiao Fung's voice.

"That...may be harder. Their home sector breeds...hardy lifeforms, and magic attacks will just feed it," said Anton.

"Just keep it out of our way," said Xiao Fung's voice, "I'm guessing it wasn't responsible for the large disturbance down there."

"No...Mr. Lynch survived the ambush. He has a nasty habit of doing that," said Anton

"Mhm, the full story please," said Xiao Fung's voice.

Anton said, "I would have destroyed them...but they received reinforcements. I believe they are heading for the art museum."

"Why would they bother going there?" asked Xiao Fung, "With the chi waves as disrupted as they are, the museum will be a virtual haunted house."

Drago said, "They're probably working with the old man to get a chi spell together."

"Then I suggest you stop them. I have no intentions of returning to that ghastly limbo."

Anton saluted. "They won't survive the night," he said confidently.

…

The museum was very quiet when they go there. Apparently, something spooked away all the tourists.

Matt looked around. "Hmm...I have a feeling that this museum isn't much better since we were last here," he said.

"We just need to get to the Asian exhibit and get the fan," said Viper, "Let's not stop for the sights."

Matt nodded. "Ok...I'm just asking here...but what else is in the exhibit?" he said, looking at, or more precisely past them

"Well, there are a few terracota statues," said Viper, "Nothing to worry about, right?"

Matt said, "Yeah...what about storage?" as a grating growling came from behind the others.

The others turned to see a Chinese statue resembling some sort of dog creature approaching and growling at them. "Uh oh," said Jackie, "The shishi is a guardian beast, it must be thinking that we are intruders."

"Jade? You're a Celestial...tell it to sit or something," said Matt in a careful voice.

"Uh, nice doggy, heel," said Jade.

The shishi's eyes narrowed at that before its growling got more urgent. "Time to slowly back away." said Chloe.

"Where's a dinosaur bone when you need one?" muttered Matt.

Matt then said, "Wait...is it looking at us?"

Kala glanced over her shoulder and said, "Actually, I think it's looking at them." The whole wall behind them has turned back, with red eyes peering out of it.

Matt gulped before the group dodged aside as the shishi lunged at the Shadowkhan emerging from the wall. "Let's let Fido deal with these guys," said Chris.

"I hope it'll last long enough," said Jade.

The group ran deeper into the museum. "If the shadowkhan are here, how much do you wanna bet that demon features is here too?" said Matt.

"Hard to say," said Jackie, "Most would just stand back and let their Shadowkhan do the work."

Chloe said, "I wouldn't count him out, all the others were pretty hands-on in their approach."

"Then we better keep moving," said Viper.

Matt turned a corner and stopped, stepping back into view with Ghoulwyrm peering at him. Chloe was about to send a bolt of lightning when she noted that Ghoulwyrm's expression reminded her of someone who had been pricked by Spike. "We've got a little roadblock ahead," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm said "Silly," before licking Matt.

"Ok, gross," said Matt. However, the innocent part didn't last too long as Ghoulwyrm apparently liked the taste of him. He licked Matt's face a couple more time before he tried to chomp him.

"AAAAH...GET HIM OFF." yelled Matt before hitting Ghoulwyrm with a fire extinguisher.

"What the heck is that?" asked Viper.

"Ghoulwyrm...usually he's trying to hex, kill, or do both to us. Why he's like this, I dunno," said Chloe.

Chris however said, "Hey, Ghouly, wanna play a game? It's called 'blast the shadow ninja's'. The prize is a donuuut."

Ghoulwyrm gave her a blank look and asked, "What's a donut?"

"It's nice...it has ja...blood in it," said Chris, changing the word as he remembered the audience.

"Mmm... blood," said Ghoulwyrm, "I'm so thirsty."

Matt said, "We don't need dead head over here. Buzz off, Ghoulwyrm," before hitting Ghoulwyrm on the mouth. "Ow...he pricked me," said Matt, looking at his finger.

Ghoulwyrm licked his tooth where Matt's blood was. Then the hole his forehead started glowing purple as it healed up. Matt stepped back as Ghoulwyrm's eyes focused...however nobody expected what happened next. Ghoulwyrm twitched. "I suddenly have an urge to do something rash but heroic that results in extreme property damage or an explosion," he said.

"Why does that sound so familiar?" asked Chloe.

Ghoulwyrm turned to look at her. "I now have an urge to vaporize anyone who even sneezes at you violently," he said to her before turning around stiffly as several Shadowkhan came into view. "DIE, SMEGHEADS!" he yelled, charging them and vanishing round the corner.

Matt said darkly, "I cannot help but fell that I've been insulted."

"Could have been worse," said Jackie, "He could have tasted Jade."

"Ha, ha," said Jade sarcastically.

"Well...at least there's a decent distraction on the loose...I do not blow up things," said Matt, before absently blasting the exhibit security gate to pieces.

"No comment necessary," said Chris.

Matt was standing in the middle of the exhibit room, a hole at the far end probably showing how the shishi had originally left. "Ok...which one's silk?" he said, looking around.

"Hang on a minute, I think the Japanese displays have been moved around," said Viper.

Matt looked around before saying, "Didn't you say there were terracotta warriors around?"

"A few, not some of the thousand terracotta warriors, but pretty decent representations of Chinese warriors," said Viper.

Chloe said, "Chinese?" before pulling her blaster out.

"Or was it Indian, hard to tell them apart sometimes," said Viper.

"It was most certainly Chinese," said a voice behind them.

The group turned around to see Xiao Fung towering over them. "How the heck did we let a giant frog sneak up on us?" asked Matt.

Xiao Fung said, "Ah yes...Mr. Lynch...My dear brother, Shendu sends his regards," before blasting Matt flying.

Matt hit the wall with a slight crunch. "Ok, that thing I said about this guy being easy...I was wrong," said Matt.

Xiao Fung however had turned to look at Jade. "Hmm...a Celestial, after so long. I thought my brother had destroyed the Celestial bloodline. No matter, that is easily rectified," he said.

"Uh, would you believe it's just a costume?" asked Jade.

Xiao Fung said "Not a chance," before a fireball hit him.

Kala said, "You step away from her, you froggy creep."

Xiao Fung glanced at her and said, "I've not time for candles," before blowing her down the hall.

Matt snapped at this and was about to blast Xiao Fung when he was beaten. Ghoulwyrm bashed through the floor and flipped Xiao Fung onto his back. "He couldn't have just phased through?" asked Jackie.

"Just like Matt," said Chloe, "He'd never rather use a door to get into a fight."

Xiao Fung sounded more than a little angry as he tried to right himself. Ghoulwyrm could have finished him there, but again, like Matt, he couldn't resist the last word. "Nobody touches my bushi boo...huh?" he said before a thrown fire extinguisher arrived from Matt's direction, followed by an angry Matt.

"She's not your bushi boo, I do not act like that, AND STOP STEALING MY LINES!" yelled Matt.

Ghoulwyrm twitched before parroting Matt, saying "She's not your bushi boo, I do not act like that, AND STOP STEALING MY..." being cut off as Matt started jumping up and down on him, screaming "SHUT UP!" with each landing.

Chloe picked up a nearby mask on the wall and put it over her face. "Tell me when I can show my face in public again," she said.

The mask said in a Brooklyn accent, "Sure thing, babe...but you're missing a great show." Chloe stared at the mask which said "What?" before she screamed and tossed it away frisbee style.

Matt, meanwhile, was now literally slapping Ghoulwyrm silly. "STOP...ACTING...LIKE...ME!" he yelled, slapping Ghoulwyrm with every word. But then Ghoulwyrm opened his mouth and snapped down on Matt's hand as it came in for the next slap. Matt looked confused before screaming. "AAARGH...GOTOFFMEYAUNDEADTHINGY!" he gibbered, trying to pull free.

"Should we help him free?" asked Chloe. Kala gave her an 'are you kidding' look. "What? He's really annoying sometimes," said Chloe.

Ghoulwyrm's headwound started glowing again, this time finishing and his eyes refocusing properly. "Oh...what happ?" he began before the theater of memory recall put on reel one. "Oh...dear...ancients," said Ghoulwyrm in a horrified voice. "Oh, I can't believe I really did that," said Ghoulwyrm, his voice thick with chagrin, "How degrading."

Matt however wasn't finished. "Time to die," he said in a twitchy voice before Xiao Fung, who had finally righted, blasted him.

"Enough foolishness," said Xiao Fung, "You, wyvern, take them out."

Ghoulwyrm gave an annoyed look at Xiao Fung and said, "I do have a name you know."

Xiao Fung glared and said, "I don't care, destroy them."

Ghoulwyrm growled and sent several bandages at them. "Oh great, another paper fold-up?" asked Viper.

"I don't fold, I braid," said Ghoulwyrm before wrapping several bandages into an arm which grabbed at her.

Viper jumped and dodged the arm's lunges until Ghoulwyrm managed to score a lucky graze with his claws. Ghoulwyrm brought his arm back and noticed a little crimson liquid on it. "Mmm...should be much better tasting than Matt's," he said before licking it off.

Matt punched down the Khan he was fighting to say, "Oi...no call for that," before he was attacked by another Khan.

Suddenly, Ghoulwyrm paused. A soft growl started coming from his throat. Suddenly his pupils blazed blood red and he roared like a savage beast.

Jackie and Viper noticed this. "Erm...I don't think he's supposed to do that," said Jackie

Ghoulwyrm said, "Blood...MORE BLOOOD!" before lunging clumsily at the duo. The pair of them dodged the attack, but Ghoulwyrm get coming after them, howling like an animal. The second lunge had Ghoulwyrm ram into a Japanese gong. "Grah...I NEED MORE BLOOD!" he said, practically frothing at the mouth now. The crash had also knocked over the fan display, mixing them all up.

"Which fan's the silk one?" asked Chris.

"You figure it out," said Chloe before barely avoiding becoming crunched by Ghoulwyrm.

Matt threw a Khan at Ghoulwyrm before yelling "JADE...NOW WOULD BE A GOOD TIME TO BE LUCKY!"

Xiao Fung looked around at that. "Jade...I remember that name. Chan's niece," he said.

"Uh, no, not at all," said Jade, "Jade's a common girl's names these days. All the boys are Jacks and all the girls are Jades."

Xiao Fung wasn't fooled however. "Now I remember you. I thought there was something strange about you when I first saw you...and now I know," he said before getting ready to smash her.

However, Chris suddenly shouted, "Got it!" as he held up the silk fan. He then started fanning it at Xiao Fung and said, "Time for you to blow out of town." However, the only thing it did was create a small breeze.

Jackie dodged Ghoulwyrm and said, "We still need to add the chi spell to it."

Chris said, "Oh...yeah," before Xiao Fung blasted him with a wind blast.

"I'll take that fan," said Xiao Fung before sucking in the air.

He, and everyone else, stopped as a little cylinder of ceiling fell down and the jellyfish floated into view before going through the floor...literally. Chris took advantage of this to throw the fan to Jackie.

Xiao Fung increased his suction. Then the fan flew over and landed in his mouth. He took it out and said, "Now my liberation is secure. Minions, we leave, but take the Celestial. Then see to it they won't feel a cool breeze ever again."

Matt pulled out his blaster and tagged several Khan before the others, rightly aiming him as the top threat dogpiled him. The rest of the Khan advanced on the group. Ghoulwyrm however, after a second meeting between his face and the gong, had his senses back and grabbed Jade. "Boss wants to see you," he said before opening a shadow portal to follow Xiao Fung. But then he paused and said, "And while I'm at it, a snack for later." He stretched out a bandage and wrapped it around Viper before reeling her in.

With that he vanished into the portal. The Khan however seemed to prove that they did have an intelligent streak...or at least a vengeful one, one of them throwing a ninja star at one of the alarms, setting it off before they all vanished.

"Uh, that's really not good, right?" asked Kala.

Matt said, "Not really...how long do you think until CPD get here?" before the far doors burst open to let in a CPD squad.

"Fast response, I'll give em that," said Chloe

…

**Chicago Police Department HQ**

"You were supposed to be finding fan to cast chi spell with, not get caught!" snapped Uncle.

Matt glared through the visitor room window. "Yeah...so...I should have shot at the cops? That looks bad on a resume."

"One more thing, you let Jade get captured! How could you let such a thing happen!" snapped Uncle.

"I was under a pile of...you know what," said Matt, peering over at the watching guard, "Why would frog features want Jade anyway? He already has an apprentice."

"The Demon Sorcerers fear the Celestials," said Uncle, "They see Jade's presence and Xian Vang Necklace as threat."

"Oh please...what could they do?" scoffed Matt.

"Jade may be dragon now, but she is not immortal," said Uncle, "Uncle fears the very worst."

"That'll do it..." said Matt weakly.

"But all is not lost. I know how to free you and-" started Uncle when a guard walked up.

"Visiting hour's over," he said.

Matt said, "Hold up, I need to hear this."

The guard glared. "After the mayhem at lunch, not a chance...move it," he said, dragging Matt away.

Later, in the guys' cell, the three of them were trying to think of what to do. "We could plead temporary insanity," said Chris.

Matt said, "For some reason, they didn't believe me."

"I'm more worried about Viper and Jade," said Jackie, "Their lives are in great danger."

Matt twitched and for a second his eyes blazed red. "I could get us out," he said in a colder voice.

"Uh, we want to save the city from destruction, not destroy it ourselves, Draconus," said Chris.

"Despite what you think, I can be more...precise. Allow me to demonstrate..." said Draconus, getting up and neatly melting the hinges on the cell door.

"But breaking out of jail is a crime," said Jackie.

"Weren't you in jail the first time Old Windy got out?" asked Draconus.

"That was different," said Jackie, "I was under cover."

Draconus sighed. "Semantics...let's just go..." he said before leveling his hand, palm out at the far wall.

Jackie gulped and said, "Uh, shouldn't we get Chloe and Kala first?"

Draconus raised his other arm and blew the connecting wall into the next cell wing apart. Several dazed guards could be seen in the rubble as he strode in. "Ladies...are we leaving?" he said.

Chloe sighed and said, "Draconus, right?"

"Who else? Hold on," said Draconus before blasting the door lock to stop several police getting in.

"Matt's taking over as soon as we're out of here, you got that?" said Kala.

Draconus grinned at her and said, "Then maybe we can wait a little longer.

Chloe glared before punching Draconus on the nose. "Ow...okay...damn, there was no need for that...I was joking," moaned Draconus. holding his nose.

"Joke on your own time, we need to go," said Chloe.

Draconus said, "Fine..." before blasting the outer wall to pieces...and showering NegaMorph and the experiments in rubble.

"What? Hey, we were coming to break you out," said NegaMorph, "You have any idea how long it took us to draw up the plans and get ready?"

Draconus twitched as Matt took control back, apparently in the middle of yelling at Draconus "...AND WHEN I HAVE CONTROL, DRACONUS I'LL…I'll...oh...we're out," he said.

"Yeah, let's go," said Chris.

As they walked away, Matt asked, "Why does my nose hurt?"

…

Meanwhile, Anton was looking at the two hostages that had been brought back. "Master, I must ask. Why bring that Celestial back?" he said.

"Because she may bring about the return of the other Celestials," said Xiao Fung, "And we don't want that, do we?"

"Of course not, the Shar Virk have as much reason to prevent that as you do. But that necklace is practically sentient in itself. Destroying it and its host will not be easy. Ghoulwyrm claims that he nearly corrupted the host a fortnight ago," said Anton

"Well, Ghoulwyrm isn't in much of a mood for spellcasting right now," said Xiao Fung.

"He's a second-rate necromancer who's incompetence prevented the Shar-Virks' victory the first time. If he can do it, anyone can," said Anton.

"But I suppose not as many has as fine a sense of hearing as he does," said Xiao Fung.

Anton said, "I'm sorry?" before Ghoulwyrm tackled him, screaming "LUNCH TIME!"

"In case you were wondering, I believe that's why he brought the other girl," said Xiao Fung, "He's in a bloodlust right now."

Anton simply screamed, "GAH...NOT THE FACE...ANYTHING BUT THE FACE!"

Xiao Fung sighed and said, "Competent minions are hard enough to find. Disciplined ones are nearly impossible."

Ghoulwyrm simply got up and burped. "Mmm...tasty," he said happily before walking off again.

"Shall I have the Shadowkhans rob one of those, what are they called, blood banks, again?" asked Xiao Fung.

Anton said dizzily, "Would you, mumsie? I'd love that."

Viper turned to Jade and said, "Well, the accommodations aren't much, but the entertainment's top notch."

Xiao Fung turned to look to them. "Enjoy the time you have left wisely," he said.

"So what do you think they'll do with us?" asked Jade.

"My best guess, you're going to be crypt-breath's next meal and I'm the appetizer," said Viper, "So we need a plan to stall them."

Jade said, "I might have an idea."

…

Meanwhile...

Matt and the gang had gotten back to the hotel and were currently enduring another yell from Uncle. "Why did you blast out of prison? You were to wait for Uncle's plan! Now police will be looking for you everywhere!" snapped Uncle.

"Well...we can't just sit around. Not to praise my darker side, but at least he was constructive," replied Matt.

"Very well then, where is fan?" asked Uncle.

Matt said promptly, "Xiao Fung ran off with it."

Uncle studied Matt's face for a second before beckoning him closer. When Matt leaned in, he got three finger whacks and a loud yell in his ear, "HOW COULD YOU LET THE WIND DEMON TAKE THE FAN?"

"Ow...what the...we were kinda busy not getting killed," said Matt, wincing.

"How can you expect Uncle to banish Xiao Fung without the fan?" snapped Uncle

"Hey fans aren't exactly rare," said NegaMorph, only to get whacked as well.

"Japanese silk is. Without silk, spell will not work," said Uncle."

"So? Let's just go get it off him again," said Matt.

"But we don't know where he is," said Jackie.

"Actually, I think Viper planned ahead for this," said NegaMorph, "She left this for you." He handed over a tracking device to Jackie with a note on it.

Jackie read the note:

_Jackie,_

_If you're reading this, I managed to stowaway and followed the demon, hopefully. I left this tracker so you can find me and by extension, the bad guys. I'll be seeing you soon, tiger._

_Viper._

Matt peered over Jackie's shoulder "She thinks ahead, doesn't she?" he said.

"I like that girl," said NegaMorph, "You should definitely go out with her."

Jackie just stuttered a bit. Matt grinned, "Nice one, NegaMorph," and high fived him.

"No time for matchmaking," said Uncle, "We must find them before Xiao Fung can inflict unspeakable things upon them."

Matt said, "Ok...where's the tracker say to go?"

NegaMorph took it and studied it closely. After about a minute, he said, "Got it."

Jackie said, "What are you doing?"

Draco said, "I think we're about to get an express trip. I hope you didn't eat."

"Uncle has not had time, to busy with spells," said Uncle.

"Good," said NegaMorph before making a shadowy portal appear.

Uncle said, "Uncle not like using dark magic," staring suspiciously at the portal.

NegaMorph scoffed, "It's not dark magic, it's just a rift into a torturous dimension of pure darkness."

"That's what we've been using this whole time?" asked Matt.

"More or less...in you go," said NegaMorph, pushing Matt in.

"Uncle not using-" started Uncle before NegaMorph grabbed him and tossed him in.

Jackie was next. Chloe and Kala grabbed an arm each. "Don't worry...it's almost perfectly harmless," said Kala, cheerfully as they dragged him towards the portal.

"Uh, that's fine, I'll just take a taxi," said Jackie.

Chloe said, "What are you? A ma...human or a mouse?"

"Uh, squeak, squeak?" said Jackie.

Chloe and Kala exchanged a grin before changing to hybrid and lifting him literally off his feet before dropping him into the portal.

Chris shrugged before taking a deep breath, pinching his nose, and jumping in.

Chloe and Kala looked at each other before diving in, popping out in the parking lot of an abandoned warehouse complex.

"Everyone alright?" asked NegaMorph.

Jackie said, "I feel ill," his face an interesting shade of green.

"Yeah, that happens the first few times," said NegaMorph.

Matt said, "It happens every time, you genetic idiot."

"Oh, don't be such a big baby," said NegaMorph.

Chloe said, "Ok...the tracker should lead straight to the building old Frog Features is in."

"It's bound to be swarming with his Shadowkhan," said Jackie.

"Ok...and we still have to get that fan off him," said Chris.

"How do we know he hasn't destroyed it by now?" asked Draco.

Uncle said, "We must hope that he has not...or world is doomed."

Draco gulped and said, "Given our track record...we're dead."

The group made their way inside the warehouse complex as quietly as they could. "How do we know which one Xiao Fung is in?" asked Jackie.

Draco said, "Matt's here...he's like a magnet for trouble...or those canaries you send down mines."

"Oh, that's an exaggeration," said Matt, "I do not draw trouble."

Chloe pulled him aside as a door almost blew shut in his face. Matt said stubbornly, "Coincidence."

"I would prefer to find the Wind Demon in a way that isn't entirely to his advantage," said NegaMorph.

Kala said, "Hey...do you hear music?"

The group paused and listened for a while. "Hmm...sounds oriental," said NegaMorph.

Matt pointed to a door to the main area. "There," he said, carefully opening the door and peering out before making a funny noise.

Chloe pushed him aside and peered out before closing the door. "Oh boy." she said in a tired voice, "Matt...you're not allowed to talk to Jade anymore...this stinks of your planning."

The interior had been richly decorated with various Asian trappings. Xiao Fung sat upon a 'throne' that had been made of discarded tires. Surprisingly, he did not draw the most attention in the room. The cage in the middle did, which had Jade and Viper in it. The two women were wearing kimonos and doing a Japanese geisha dance with fans.

Chris stopped Jackie before he could see. "Erm...before you look...this is probably nothing to do with Matt's escape plan lessons," he said.

"Wait a sec..." said Kala, her sharp eyesight focusing on the fans Jade and Viper were using, "Viper has the silk fan."

Jackie pushed her aside at this and got a good look. Jackie gawked a bit before he whispered, "What is Jade doing?"

"I believe that's a geisha dance," said NegaMorph, "An ancient form of dance from Japan. But I think what she's really doing is stalling for time."

Matt looked at Jackie before saying, "Let's do something before Jackie's blood pressure causes him to explode."

"Viper isn't that gorgeous," said Draco, "She may be easy on the eye but I don't think-"

Chip hit Draco across the back of the head at that. Matt however was saying to Chris, "What do you mean you forgot the bazooka?"

"Hey, the old man kept saying 'magic must defeat magic'," said Chris, "Besides, from what I've heard, I think a bazooka blast would only make the amphibious hurricane angry."

"I know...what do I always say? 'Angry people screw up.' If you want something done, shoot it yourself," said Matt, igniting a plasma ball.

Chloe turned and said, "Matt, don't you dare. For once, we've got the perfect element of surprise. Do no blow it."

"I know...surprise time," said Matt.

Matt leaned back his arm and tossed the plasma orb in. "MATT, NO!" shouted nearly everyone.

Xiao Fung turned in time for the orb to blow him through the warehouse wall. Anton jumped at that, though Drago and Ghoulwyrm just sighed. Xiao Fung glared and said, "I do not appreciate my entertainment being disrupted." He started inhaling, creating a vacuum-like effect.

The others were sucked in a heap into the warehouse. Draco, from the bottom of the pile said, "I hate you, Matt...sooooo much right now."

"It is very rude to linger in doorways," said Xiao Fung, "And even ruder to demolish one's private quarters. Shadowkhan, teach them a very painful lesson about manners."

Matt got up unsteadily. "Ah, shut up, ya big wind bag..." he said in a slurred voice, Chip having bounced off his head.

"What was that?" asked Xiao Fung.

"You tell all the other guys to do the fighting, but you don't lift a finger to do anything yourself, you pompous bag of hot air," said Matt.

Chip sighed and said, "Sometimes, it's an embarrassment to know him."

Xiao Fung was actually rendered speechless. This was mostly cause he was impressed by the sheer suicidalness of this hybrid. "Go back and play with the other tadpole...giant...blob thing," said Matt, dizzily as concussion went to work on his brain.

"So, you want to see my full power, do you?" said Xiao Fung. He started waving one hand, causing the air to spin violently around it. Then he gestured towards Matt, sending the rapidly-growing tornado at him.

Chris watched as Matt was knocked out of sight. "I saw that coming," he muttered before getting up as the Shadowkhan appeared.

Anton smirked. "I'd finish him off, lord. He has a nasty habit of winning," he said.

"Oh I will," said Xiao Fung, "The twister's strength will increase until he is torn limb from limb."

"I'd watch him carefully...his darker sides more...competent," said Anton, before drawing his ion blade, "Allow me to make sure he stays down."

"As you wish," said Xiao Fung, "You, vampire, attend to his sister."

Ghoulwyrm actually gulped at this. While sounding an easy job, Chloe didn't just disobey Queensbury rules, she had incinerated the book. "Do I have to?" he said weakly.

"Don't tell me you've lost your bloodlust already," said Xiao Fung.

"No...I just want to keep my fangs," said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago, who had only faced Chloe once said, "Fine, I'll deal with her."

Ghoulwyrm actually grinned again. "This'll be good," he muttered. Drago had teased him over his...allergic reaction to Matt's blood in the museum.

"You think you're capable of handling a few mortals?" asked Xiao Fung mockingly to Ghoulwyrm.

"The others didn't warn you about these guys...did they?" said Ghoulwyrm as Kala used her hybrid form to rip several Shadowkhan apart.

Xiao Fung sighed and said, "Must I do everything?" He breathed up into the air, causing several clouds to suddenly form and winds to quickly pick up. Only the air closest to him remained still. The group slowly began to be whipped around, several of the Shadowkhan digging their claws in to prevent their own wind aided flight.

"Nicely done," said Ghoulwyrm appreciatively. The Shadowkhan stuck their pointed feet into the floor and walls and started advancing on the closest members of the group.

Meanwhile, several plasma bolts shot out of the tornado holding Matt, causing it to collapse. Matt, still spinning staggered around before looking unsteadily to see a Shadowkhan. "Hey...you...you four stop," he said, firing a plasma ball that missed completely, instead hitting Jade and Viper's cage, vaporizing the front of it.

"Well, that's convenient," said Jade.

"Too bad there's a storm out there," said Viper as Draco and Chip blew by.

Matt looked around, his eyes still spinning before losing control of his form and shifting to dragon form and falling over. "Ow...make the world stop," he said.

Anton landed next to Matt and said, "I'll make something stop alright," before trying to spear Matt with his ion staff.

Unfortunately, it turned out the spinning had also given Matt the hiccups, one such causing Anton to get a plasma blast.

Anton was knocked back a bit from that. "It seems you've lost much of your equilibrium," he said, "How about I eradicate the rest?" He then shot a concentrated sonic blast at Matt's head.

Matt dodged to the side before aiming a plasma blast in return, which shot past Jackie and hit Ghoulwyrm who was sneaking up on him

"Where is Uncle?" called Jackie.

"Jackie!" Jackie looked towards the main door where Uncle had managed to avoid being sucked in. "Where is fan?" called Uncle.

Viper pulled out the fan. "Here...catch," she called before tossing it into the hurricane where it circled round into Uncle's waiting hand.

"Hot cha," said Uncle before he started taking out vials filled with variously colored formulas and started mixing them together.

Xiao Fung saw this. "Apprentice...stop fooling and stop the chi wizard!" he yelled.

Matt had at least enough focus to say, "Taking orders from the big toad guy? Aren't you supposed to be working for the gerbil king?"

Anton said, "Hamsterviel's a furball with a few tincans and a Napoleon complex. He isn't worth anything, let alone taking orders from."

"Ooh, naughty, naughty, naughty," said Matt dizzily.

Anton glared and tried to turn dragon. However, his body didn't seem to respond to his mental command. Anton gulped as he heard a voice only he could, saying 'Nanite error 24-b...please contact nearest technomage guild representative.'

"Ha, ha, frog boy can't go dragon," taunted Matt.

"But wind demon power is more than enough to take care of you," said Anton before blasting Matt.

Matt slid back on the ground a bit, tucking his wings in and digging his claws into the ground. He looked up once Anton stopped. "Not as tough as the genuine article...eh? Bye-bye," said Matt, before tail whipping Anton across the warehouse.

Meanwhile, the others were attempting to fight back at the Shadowkhan. Which was pretty hard since the hurricane was blowing them all over the room. The only ones who could get a decent fight in where Chloe and Drago who were hanging onto the cage.

Chloe kicked out at Drago. "Didn't you learn last time we fought at Section 13 vault that you shouldn't piss off a dragoness?" she said.

"Show me a real dragoness and I'll be sure to avoid her," said Drago.

Chloe's eyes glowed before shifting to hybrid form. "If I remember correctly, I left you squeaking last time," she said.

"Ancient history," said Drago, "Just like you're about to be."

Chloe and Drago ended up locking hands and pushing against each other. "Oh? I always like re-enacting it..." she said, kicking Drago between the legs.

Drago winced and said, "You know, you shouldn't fight dirty against a lady."

Chloe snorted and said, "Chivalry's as extinct as your kind."

Drago sent a fireball into an extinguisher next to Chloe, causing her to stagger back, wiping the extinguisher dist from her eyes. "Then again...you're not a lady," he said.

"Why you-" started Chloe before Drago grabbed her tail and flipped her down onto the floor. Chloe glared and tried to get back up only for Drago to get her in an arm lock. "You really should let go. I think you're forgetting something," she warned.

"Oh yeah? What's that?" asked Drago.

"This," said Chloe before channeling an electrical charge through her skin and into Drago. Drago was sent flying backwards and out of the eye of the storm.

Xiao Fung looked down at Drago with a little disgust. "I can see how you are your father's son. You are as competent as him," he said.

"You really shouldn't talk about your own brother that way," said Chloe to Xiao Fung.

"As if your own brother's a shining example of brilliance," retorted Xiao Fung.

Chloe ignited an electrical ball in her hand. "He gets the job done...and please don't try the demon temptation mind whammy," she said icily.

"My brother, Tchang Zu, told me of your hardheadness," said Xiao Fung, "I'd no more get an ideas into your head than get a needle into a stone." Chloe growled at that. "Besides, I already have an apprentice I can rely on," said Xiao Fung.

Chloe looked over at where Anton was trying to gather his marbles after Matt had punted him. "Yeah...you need better help."

Xiao Fung suddenly smirked and said, "Did you know there is a spell designed to steal all the air out of another's lung? Allow me to demonstrate." He chanted a little bit while waving his fingers in an odd fashion. Chloe began to gag as she started to feel like the air was being drawn from the room.

Suddenly, Viper came up behind Xiao, jumped up, and kicked him in the back of the head. The demon roared angrily, the spell cutting off as his concentration broke. The Demon Sorcerer turned to see Jackie, Jade, Viper and the remains of Matt's team. "Chan...do you really think you can stop me this time?" he said, smugly.

"Not me, him," said Jackie, pointing. Xiao turned and saw Uncle chanted while unfurling the now-glowing fan.

Xiao Fung's eyes widened as he sensed the spell. "No...NO...NOT AGAIN!" he yelled, preparing a spell...too late as Uncle began chanting the banishment spell. Xiao Fung resorted to a concentrated gale in Uncle's direction.

Too late however, as a green beam shot from the fan, pushing the Demon Sorcerer's spell aside and hitting Xiao Fung. A portal opened up behind Xiao Fung and he was pulled back towards it. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed before he was sent through.

Anton also yelled the same as the chi in his body was pulled out. He immediately shifted to dragon form and sent out a large radius blast. However, his blast quickly petered out when Anton found his strength rapidly dwindling.

Jackie said, "What's happened to him?" when they noticed he wasn't ripping them apart.

Ghoulwyrm said from where he was, "I know...wait for it...there it is," as Anton shifted to human and fell over, revealing the jellyfish demon happily sucking on him

"Huh, the little jelly came in usefulness after all," said Kala.

Anton pulled it off. "That's it!" he yelled, readying a blaster.

The jellyfish suddenly made a loud screeching noise. "Uh, Anton, I'd put it down if I were you," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Why should I?" demanded Anton.

"Because it just called for its mommy."

A portal opened in the middle of the room, to what Ghoulwyrm recognized as convexity. "Better him then me," Ghoulwyrm muttered. A very large tentacle came out said portal and slammed down on Anton, the baby making a happy squish and going through the portal.

"Uh, I think now's a good time to leave," said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago said, "Yeah...before they get over seeing that..." Ghoulwyrm opened a portal, allowing the two to escape.

Matt however had walked over to the imprinted Anton. "I don't usually care but...you wanna borrow a medipak?" he said.

Anton glared at Matt and said, "I don't need your-" The pain in his body made him wince and realize that now was not a time for pride. "Give me that stupid medipak," he grumbled.

Matt grinned evilly. "Not just yet...this has a little fee attached," he said.

"What?" asked Anton.

"The armor, hand it over," said Matt.

Anton glared. "You have got to be kidding," he hissed, gesturing at the girls of the group.

"Relax, you still have your underwear, right?" said Matt.

If looks could kill, Anton's glare would have vaporized the entire city. "Fine...I swear I'm gonna kill you one day," he said.

"Take a number, there's a lot of guys who want that," said Matt.

Anton glared before limping behind some boxes. "I am not coming into sight," he said from behind it, tossing the armor over the boxes.

"One more thing," said Draco, "Get out of Dodge, and this dimension while you're at it and don't come back."

"Fine...just smeg off. I am not coming out in just my pants," replied Anton.

"Oh, and we'd like whatever data you got from your wormhole-making experiments," said Chip.

Anton said, "Fine...just bugger off. I'd offer the shirt off my back but you already have that," his wrist comp's CPU bouncing off Draco's head from where it was thrown over the boxes.

"One last thing," said Chloe, "Clean off NegaMorph from the walls." She gestured around to where the hurricane had smeared NegaMorph thin all over the walls.

Anton's reply was in Avalarian, negative and certainly rude.

"Now that was hardly polite," said Chip, "But then again, neither was this." He then started producing a recording of Anton, "Hamsterviel's a furball with a few tincans and a Napoleon complex. He isn't worth anything, let alone taking orders from."

Anton heard that and said, "You wouldn't dare, ya little tin can."

"I might, I might not, unless you'd rather I hold it over you for something bigger," said Chip.

"...what did you have in mind?" said Anton, walking back into view, wearing a jump suit he'd gotten from somewhere.

"Oh, I don't know," said Chip, "Something exclusive, something secretive...something hi-tech."

"This is why I hate you guys...fine..." Anton said, "The third dimensional cutter's in Warehouse 12. Can I go now?"

"Ok, you can go," said Chloe, "Matt, you pick up NegaMorph."

Matt nodded, "Chris...pick up NegaMorph."

"Oh no, you don't," said Chloe, "You blew our element of surprise, you can clean up NegaMorph."

Matt said, "I'm a bigger rank then you...I..." he said before jumping back as Chloe, who was still in hybrid form, growled. "Erm...yeah, alright," he said dully before walking in NegaMorph's direction.

…

Back at the hotel, everyone was trying to relax after the battle, particularly NegaMorph.

Uncle said, "We should not be waiting. I need to return to shop to research where next demon portal will be opened..."

However, the only response was Matt to say from where he was laying on the room's couch, "No...too tired...Matthew need sleep or Matthew go insane and shoot everything."

"Hey Jackie," said Viper, "Thanks for saving my butt back there."

Jackie said simply, "You were in danger."

"Where'd you come up with that Japanese kabuki thing anyways?" asked Draco.

"It's geisha," said Viper, "Did a job a while back, required me being undercover while scoping, long story. I taught the most basic points to Jade so we can keep Balloon Face occupied."

Matt said, "It definitely worked," from where he was laying.

"Speaking of Japanese," said Viper, "I know this great sushi place in this town, fresh as it gets. You should come with me there, Jackie." The experiments all turned to look with mischievous looks.

"Well, I, er, uh..." stuttered Jackie.

"He'll see you at 7," said Contrinus.

Viper grinned at Jackie's shocked stuttering. "I'll see you there." she said with a smirk.

Just then, Jade walked in, holding a piece of paper in her hands. "Hey guys," she said, "Look what I found. It's a lottery ticket for a big prize. Turn on the radio, maybe I've won."

Matt said from his seat, "For heaven's sake...the last 48 hours have proven that while dragons exist here...dragon luck does not...especially Jade's dragon luck…" before he reached over and turned the radio on anyway.

The DJ's voice came on, "Alright, you crazy fans, it's time for the big lottery to see who gets a luxury house in San Francisco and $500,000. And the winning number is... 1-2-8-1-2-9-8."

Jade looked her ticket and shouted, "I WON!"

Matt peered up over the edge of his seat with a manic look in his eyes. He said in a calm voice (in the same way the eye of a storm was 'calm') "Where was that luck earlier?"

"Uncle said that dragons were symbols of prosperity, Uncle did not say they were lucky for martial reasons," said Uncle.

Matt's eye twitch started to get worse. "What?" he said.

"Uncle did more research," said Uncle, "Chinese dragons can have good luck getting money or good crops, but not for martial reasons like defeating enemies or winning battles."

"And why not?" asked Matt, sounding on the brink of a breakdown.

"Dragons need no luck for that," said Uncle.

Matt gibbered at that. "Why? I wanna get a break," he gibbered before looking at the ticket. To his addled mind, the ticket started laughing at him. Matt's eye twitch and he yelled, "DIE, MOCKING TICKET!" He threw a plasma orb at it.

"No!" shouted NegaMorph jumping in front and taking the blast.

Chloe sighed before electrocuting Matt. "I'd put that somewhere safe. This happened last Halloween with the jack-o'-lantern," she said, having not looked up from her book.

"Matt, that ticket's worth 500,000 dollars, plus a sweet house," groaned NegaMorph as he tried to get up.

"It's taunting me...in French," said Matt, gibbering a bit.

"Big piles of money are worth any taunt," said NegaMorph.

Matt stopped, "Money?"

NegaMorph said, "Yeees...lots of lovely money...you could buy that ion rifle you always wanted."

"Jade, can I borrow a couple hundred dollars?" asked Matt.

"She should invest for something good," said Jackie, "Like her college fund."

"I just want happy times...I'M SICK OF THE SME..!" he began before Kala kissed him on the cheek.

"Better?" asked Kala.

"Much, thanks," said Matt.

* * *

Here's the next chapter. Sorry for the extra-long wait. Last week was midterms week and I had a lot of studying to do. But I'm on spring break now, or rather halfway through it, and I should be more active. Anyways, with this chapter, you'll notice we have the Razor Khan, which were the first new tribe of Shadowkhan summoned in the fourth season. And of course, we have Viper appearing. I had wanted to do something with Viper since El Toro got so many more guest episodes than she did. The only time she reappeared outside of a J-Team episode was that Origami episode. Besides, she and Jackie make such a cute couple. And the Convexity jellyfish are from The Legend of Spyro: A New Beginning. Anyhow, even though the Empire's not likely to show up, that doesn't mean there won't be more evil. Stick around for the next update on Friday and please review.


	11. Thick as Stone

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 11: Thick as Stone**

The Dark Hand may be long gone, but that doesn't mean there weren't more 'mundane' criminals that Section 13 need to deal with. Recently, they've been trying to nab a gang of bank robbers who utilize hi-tech weaponry to empty big vaults.

Matt had been following it with interest in what the news had been able to report. He and Kala looked at one picture in a newspaper showing the gang in action. "Definitely a plasma rifle," he said to Kala.

"Guess the technology here is more advanced than we thought," said Kala.

"Nope...black market...splitters probably. We caught Romanov trying that, remember?" said Matt.

"Oh," said Kala, "Well, it's hard to tell sometimes. I mean, there's that big particle beam cannon they've got in storage."

"Yeah...but that's the smallest they can get at the moment," said Matt before the scramble alarm began to ring.

NegaMorph, who was sleeping nearby, sat up and shouted, "I DIDN'T TAKE ANYTHING!"

Matt said, "It's not for you. Probably that gang again that's been all over the papers."

"Oh," said NegaMorph before relaxing, "Not our problem."

Chris appeared in the doorway. "Hey...Captain Black wants to see us," he said, making NegaMorph groan.

"I just wanna sleep. Will he take a rain check?"

Matt shrugged and said, "Fine, nod off."

"With pleasure," said NegaMorph before he started snoring.

Kala said, "You shouldn't let him..." only for Matt to make a 'shh' motion and use plasma control to make NegaMorph float out of the door.

"I've been practicing," said Matt.

Kala sighed and sent a fireball into NegaMorph's butt. "Let's just go see what he wants," she said

...

Captain Black faced the gang and said, "I'm glad you could make it here on such short notice."

"Some of us had shorter notice than others," grumbled NegaMorph.

"Why are we here?" said Matt before hopping as Chloe kicked him on the shin.

"As you may be aware, we've been monitoring a group of thieves who have access to very hi-tech weaponry," said Captain Black, "Too hi-tech for a small group like them. You wouldn't happen to know of any blackmarketeers who could possibly provide...alien technology, would you?"

"Yes...but they're probably long gone now," said Matt.

Chloe said, "The splitter merchant guild like to trade weapons and tech for cash. Any cash'll do."

"Splitters, is that the same race as him?" asked Black, pointing at Xander.

Xander nodded. "Indeed. They will not have remained after their transaction and any attempt to arrest them would result in large collateral damage," he said.

"Well, I don't think collaring intergalactic iron mongers is in my jurisdiction anyways," said Captain Black, "But the gang they've supplied are a considerable problem. My men are attempting to catch them, but I want you all on backup if things get too ugly."

Matt thought about this. After demons, semi-corrupted Celestial dragons, mind warping sentient rings and a puppet with attitude, psychos with energy weapons would be relaxing. "We'll be there," he said cheerfully.

"Do I look like a private detective?" asked NegaMorph, "All due respects, but those guys have nothing to do with us, particularly me."

Matt turned to glare at him. "You're coming if I have to squash you into a tin can and carry you," he said

NegaMorph moaned and said, "They'll probably be attempting to hit the local bank in the middle of the night too."

Black said, "Actually..."

NegaMorph sighed, "No need to finish...which bank?"

...

Banks are typically architecturally designed to withstand destructive forces in case of breaking and entering. Of course, the architects of San Francisco never imagined plasma rifles as a possibility.

The security shutters were already molten metal from several blasts. "Those guys really knew their stuff..." said one of the gang, looking at his rifle, "How long till it burns into the vault?"

"Just make sure not to burn the money inside," said one of the top guys, "After all, destroying currency is a crime." The gang all laughed at that before the top guy said, "Seriously, don't scorch the cash."

A gang member peering into the street said, "Here comes the cops," before firing a blast at one of the Section 13 humvees driving into range.

"How long are they going to keep throwing coppers at us?" said one of the thieves, "Don't they ever learn?"

The gang member who had fired laughed before a bigger vehicle rolled into view. "What the hell is that?" he said.

A voice from the vehicle's loudspeaker said, "Ok you goons, give up now or things get extra crispy."

The gang leader said, "Barricade the door," before he yelled, "You'll need a tank to get in here, cop!"

The voice said, "Fair enough," before seeing to argue with another voice, "But he dared me..." before the rear cannon began to glow.

"Uh, they've got a tank, don't they?" said one of the thugs.

"Please, that's just a sci-fi ornament. It's just a big flash-"

The rest of the sentence was never said as the twin-barreled cannon spat an orb of blue plasma that blew the foyer doors apart and blew out every window, as well as throwing half the gang to the floor.

The gang's hearing returned just in time to hear the end of an argument outside. "...was a low setting. The building's still standing, isn't it?"

"You come in here and you're dead, cop...you hear me...DEAD!" yelled the gang leader.

"You know, that attitude sounds really familiar," said the same voice.

"Can we just wrap this up already?" asked another voice, sounding slightly distorted and really cranky.

The gang leader glared and said, "If anything comes through that hole...shoot it," before walking towards where two more gang members were burning the vault. "How much longer? They've got the help of...the army, I think." he said.

"Almost done," said one of them, "This thing's going through the metal like a hot flame through wax."

Back in the foyer, the gang members left on guard were aiming when they saw a figure walking through the smoke. "Can I come in?" the guy said, the group recognizing it as 'tank guy's' voice from the loudspeaker.

"Sorry, you don't mean the torso hole requirement, but we can fix that," said the leader. The thugs turned their blasters on the guy and started firing.

The plasma blasts just seemed to vanish. "Oh...that tickles..." said the guy in a creepily amused voice. "NegaMorph...are they distracted enough now?" he said to something behind them,

The thieves turned around only to see something half-concealed in the shadows. The thing roared loudly, baring many claws and teeth from its various hands and mouths.

The group all turned and opened fire at NegaMorph before one of them was hit in the back with a lightning bolt. Another was hit with a beam that turned him into a sheep.

Matt looked back and said, "Megan, did you take the Monkey Talisman?"

"No, that was my own spell," said Megan.

"Ok, just make sure to change him back when we turn him in," said Matt with disturbing nonchalance.

However, a black claw grabbed him and yanked him back, sending his shot wild. "You weren't about to blast my niece, were you?" asked a creepy voice. The gang member made a squeaking noise before passing out.

Gary had seen the close call and ran up to Megan.

"Are you alright?" he said in a slightly panicky voice.

"I'm fine," said Megan.

However, a clicking sound caught their attention. "Ok, kiddies, costumed hero time is over," said the gang leader, pointing his rifle at them.

Matt, who was in hybrid form, finished bashing the gang member in front of him off a pillar before turning. "Ok, creepo...I really wouldn't do that...Dante?" he said, his men all aiming.

"How do you know my name?" asked the gang leader.

Matt paused for a while and said, "Sorry, you look like someone else I knew."

The alt Dante peered around. "Ok...you're gonna give me a clear walk outta here...or I blow her pretty head clean off," he said.

Gary's eyes glowed white as he said, "You'll have to get by me first."

Dante gave Gary a look before saying, "Kevin, get this goblin out of my way."

One of the surviving gang said, "Ok, kid...out the way," aiming to rifle whip Gary, only to be knocked flying by a backhand.

"I'm not a goblin, I'm a gargoyle," said Gary.

"...And she's dead." said Dante, firing a blast that hit Megan in the arm.

Megan gave a cry of pain as she fell down. NegaMorph would have gladly torn Dante a new one, but a thunderous growling got everyone's attention. Everyone looked at Gary as his eyes glowed burning yellow as he snarled. Suddenly, his body started to bulk up, becoming taller and more muscular. His skin went from clayish brown to granite grey. His head also changed as his hair seemed to disappear and his horns grew longer. Then his face stretched out into a draconic muzzle. Finally, Gary roared and beat his chest, which was quite intimidating now that he was a monstrous gargoyle that was over 8 feet tall and had a stonelike hide.

Dante whimpered and only a stunner blast from Matt knocked him out of the path from Gary's charge that demolished one of the foyers pillars.

"I did not know he could do that," said Chloe as Gary roared and pounced on the thugs who were working on the vault door.

Matt ducked as a thug was thrown over his head to hit the far wall. "Ok...we'd better stop this," said Matt before Gary knocked the last thug out and hit one of Matt's men. "Uh, Gary, down boy, heel," said Matt before Gary grabbed him and started bashing him against the ceiling.

Chloe yelled "SOMEONE CALM HIM THE SMEG DOWN!" as her brother was gently bounced off the roof.

Megan had just recovered and quickly noticed the situation. "GARY, STOP!" she yelled. The gargoyle stopped and made a small growling sound. Megan said, "Gary...it's all ok. I'm fine...see?" she said before wincing and clutching her shoulder.

Gary's eyes flashed as he growled again and advanced towards Dante. Dante whimpered. "Erm...she's not dead," he said weakly.

Megan said, "He's right. I'm not dead. You're not a killer, Gary."

The savage light in Gary's eyes faded as he suddenly dropped onto his knees. His body started shrinking down, eventually returning to his previous form. However, some new rips were in his clothes and his hair was loose.

Dante immediately screamed a bit until one of Matt's men hit him.

"Uh, someone wanna explain why Gary just turned into a heavyweight berserker?" asked NegaMorph.

"Part...of my curse..." said Gary between pants of exhaustion, "Whenever...something makes me too mad...I lose control..."

Matt looked at two of his men. "Take him back to the APC...and...where's Dante?" he said.

Chloe swore in Splitter and said, "He got away. Guess he's like his alt in that way too."

Matt said, "We'll get him. Lock these guys up and take their weapons." As his men got to work, he looked at what was left of the foyer. "I hope the owners got good insurance."

...

Back at Section 13, Gary's spirits didn't lift much. He was back to human form with the sunrise, but he still felt burdened with guilt.

Megan, her arm in a sling, said "It wasn't your fault, Gary."

"I could have stopped him," said Gary, "But I let myself get distracted. And worse than that, I let the beast loose. I could have really hurt someone. I thought I had it under control, but I'm still too weak."

Megan said, "Don't be a fool. You're anything but weak."

"Megan, I should have been able to hold the beast back. It's a danger to everyone," said Gary, "You deserve a real guardian, not an attack dog."

Megan said, "I can't believe you'd say..." and was interrupted when Matt and NegaMorph came in.

"Is there a problem?" asked NegaMorph.

"No, there isn't," said Megan, "How are you doing, Matt?"

Matt said, "I'm fine...I think my skull's permanently dragon thickness now. I've been bashed, shot, stabbed, mauled, pushed into unstable time portals and landed in lakes, poisoned with magic mushrooms..." before NegaMorph elbowed him to shut him up. "...And my head's just fine," said Matt.

"Then why do you giggle?" asked Megan.

"That was from before he got sent into Nullspace," said Chloe as she walked in. Megan looked confused before Chloe added, "You thought we materialized on a station?"

Matt said, "It was only a little oxygen deprivation...hehe…" giggling and his eye randomly twitching.

There was a long pause before NegaMorph said, "So, just to be sure I've got this straight. When Gary sees something that really cheeses him off, with Megan getting being a prime example, he goes all monster and tries to stomp whoever ticked him off?"

Gary said gloomily, "Yeah...more or less."

"And would your monster self ever hurt Megan?" asked NegaMorph.

"No, it wouldn't," said Megan before Gary could reply.

There was another pause before NegaMorph said, "Ok then, then all we need is a leash so he doesn't get loose on the city while in monster mode. Or at least to focus him on the bad guys."

Matt said, "You mean like you used to be?"

NegaMorph nodded. "Exactly...hang on a minute," he said, looking confused as logic reared its ugly head.

"Well, as nice as a powerhouse is on our team, Gary kinda needs some more focus," said Chloe.

"I've tried," said Gary, "But there aren't exactly night classes for focusing."

Matt said, "Well...Me and Chloe got our kung fu from flash training. Why don't you ask Jackie?"

Chloe said, "No...after Chicago, he needs a rest before he snaps."

"Ok, then how about that guy with the spiky red hair?" asked NegaMorph.

"Hak Fu?" asked Matt.

"Yeah, he seems to be a well-disciplined guy," said NegaMorph.

"He jumped on me the first day," said Matt.

NegaMorph said, "I like him already."

"Well, it couldn't be worse than potentially tearing up my surroundings, right?" asked Gary.

Matt said, "Sure...erm...wear battle armor though."

"See, Gary?" said Megan, "You're in good hands."

...

Hak Fu was actually pleased to have a new student. Apparently, most of his students quit after the first few lessons. Gary couldn't imagine why but now he had a good idea.

Gary was currently doing a handstand...with a stack of planks on his feet. "Urgh...whyyy?" he managed to the watching Hak Fu.

"Your limbs must be of equal strength. You must use your legs as well as your arms in martial arts," said Hak Fu.

"I...can't...feel...spine," managed Gary before falling backwards.

"BACK ON YOUR HANDS!" snapped Hak Fu.

"Don't you mean feet?" asked Gary.

"WHO IS THE MASTER?" snapped Hak Fu.

"How long is left on this lesson?" moaned Gary, getting back onto his hands.

"The lesson's only beginning," said Hak Fu, "We still have 6 minutes with the planks. Then we do tea."

Gary sighed. "Thank God...I need a drink," he said.

However, the tea wasn't as easy to earn as he thought. "So, what am I learning from this?" he asked as he standing one side of a plank that was balanced on a block with the teapot in his hands and a teacup at the center of the plank.

"Balance," said Hak Fu, "You must learn to adjust your weight and pour the tea without spilling or falling over."

The experiments and NegaMorph, as well as Kala, had turned up to watch. "You're right, this is better than TV," said Kala, proving that some experiment instincts were still present.

"Hey Gary, maybe you can pour us some tea," said Draco.

Gary glared at them in a way that promised pain at some future point.

"The tea is getting cold," said Hak Fu.

Gary glared and began to pace across the plank slowly. "When I get my hands on you trogs…" he was muttering.

"Ah, ah, ah, temper, temper," said NegaMorph, "Wouldn't want the beast getting loose, would we?"

Gary's eye twitched in a Matt-like fashion and muttered something in French. Unfortunately, Gary's wavering attention had some adverse effects on his balance. He started to sway a bit before he started teetering. "Whoa, whoa, WHOOOOOAA!" Gary cried before falling over and the teapot spilling everywhere.

Kala and the experiments started laughing their heads off. "The best things in life really are free," said Chip.

"Yeah, so long as they're at someone else's expense," said Draco.

Gary lost it at that and grabbed a rice pole before charging at them. Draco breathed icy breath at the floor, freezing the tea that was on it. Gary quickly started slipping on the floor before falling over again, to the experiments' amusement. "You really do need to practice your balance," said Draco.

Matt walked by the door to the dojo, counting under his breath before stopping as Draco was punted out the door. "He's got...a good swing," said Draco.

"Give the kid a break," said Matt, "It'll be better for you if you do."

"That's what you told Kala?" asked Draco.

"Wait...what?" said Matt before peering into the dojo.

Now Gary was getting a quick sparring lesson, which he was failing at miserably. Matt winced at the crunch as Fak Fu reenacted his and Matt's meeting. Gary groaned as he tried to get back up. "Eye of the tiger, eye of the tiger!" snapped Hak Fu.

Matt looked over to see Kala. "Kala? What are you doing here?" he said, advancing on her.

Kala smiled sheepishly and said, "It's my nature?"

"Stop taunting the mentally fragile and injured...both categories that Gary is falling into," said Matt before he glared at the other experiments. "For shame..." he said.

Just then, Matt's wristcomp beeped, the caller ID was WARDEN's. Matt sighed. "Lynch here...what's the problem?" he said.

"We've found Ghoulwyrm's signal, he's in Central Kentucky," said WARDEN.

"Mm...KFC," said Matt distantly.

WARDEN sighed, "My sarcasm measurement circuits just melted. I would advise informing the old man."

Matt nodded and said, "Ok, saddle up, gang. Skullface is back on the map."

"Oh thank heavens, er, I mean, we should try to stop him at once," said Gary.

…

Jackie was not as enthusiastic. "Doesn't he have off days?" he said tiredly. Nobody at the shop had gotten much sleep given Uncle simultaneously researching the demon banishment spells and the spell to get Jade back to normal.

"He's undead, undead don't need to sleep as much," said Chloe.

Matt stopped at that word. "Undead." he said in a shaking voice before shaking his head. "Please don't say that word," he added.

"Oh, right, sorry," said Chloe.

Kentucky looked normal when the group arrived. "So...is there any sign as to which demon Ghoulidiot and Drago are going after?" said Chloe.

"Not much," said Matt, "Ghoulwyrm's signal got pretty weak. You think he's been critically injured?" He asked the last part with hopefulness.

Chloe said, "We should be so lucky. He's managed to hide his magic before."

"So where do start looking?" asked Jackie.

"Beats me," said Matt, "WARDEN can barely get a grasp on Ghoulwyrm's signal. All he can tell us is that he's in this area."

Uncle said, "I told you computer man was useless. Magic must find magic."

Chloe rolled her eyes and said, "Like you'd have any better luck with spotting Ghoulwyrm- OW!"

She rubbed her forehead after Uncle smacked her. "Ghoulwyrm not important, Drago is. If he is with Ghoulwyrm, Uncle can find him with this," said Uncle, holding up the chi-o-matic.

Matt looked at it. "Isn't that the same thing that has repeatedly failed against the apprentices, including me and Chloe, resulting in an energetic life and death struggle each time?" he said with a smirk before being slapped as well.

"Direct infusions of chi are hard to remove," said Uncle, "But that does not mean chi-o-matic does not work. Compass can point to disturbances in yin-yang balance caused by demons like Drago. It will show the way."

Matt looked at it. "It must need new batteries then," before almost losing a finger when he poked the arrow and it shot around to point towards a cluster of trees.

The group walked in the direction that the arrow pointed, with Gary bringing up the rear, carrying all the gear. "Is this really necessary?" asked Gary, "We're not that far out in the country."

"Always be prepared and it's good for your lower back," said Hak Fu, "Stand up straight, chest out!"

Gary groaned and muttered, "Why did we have to bring him?"

"Because he's tougher then our old drill sergeant," said Chloe, simply.

Gary glared at her and said, "You only brought him to make me suffer more, didn't you?"

"Of course not," said Chloe. NegaMorph turned into V-Fibber for a second to buzz before turning back.

"Hey, I've got a bad arm, someone needs to be pulling extra weight," said Megan.

"I wanted to bring the particle bazooka," said Matt, getting a glare from Chloe.

"So that's what's in that box," she said.

"I...am not...a pack mule," grunted Gary before he fell over.

Matt sighed and warped in his equipment back to his wrist comp before saying to Hak Fu, "He's supposed to be training...not dying."

"He wanted to be stronger, I will make him stronger," said Hak Fu.

"There's a difference between strong and dead." said Matt, before storing the rest of the gear on his wrist comp.

Gary stood back up and moaned, "Oh, my back..."

"No pain, no gain," said Hak Fu.

Just then, the chi-o-matic started glowing brighter. "We must be getting closer to Drago," said Uncle.

"But there's nothing here," said Jackie.

Jade, who had borrowed one of Xander's holo cloaks, said, "That's the Mammoth Cave national park. That could be why WARDEN couldn;t find them."

"Drago and Ghoulwyrm are underground?" asked Jackie.

Uncle gasped and said, "They must be trying to free Dai Gui, the Earth Demon."

"Who?" said Matt.

"He's a big bruiser," said Jade, "Tough as stone and head just as thick. Not to mention he can move through the ground like we can through air."

"Oh, great...land shark," said Chris to Draco. Draco shuddered when the gang had stopped for a quick break on a desert planet and run into the real thing.

"We must warn the tourists," said Jackie, "If Dai Gui is released, he could bury everyone inside the caves."

"I hope this goes better than last time," said Matt, to himself.

…

Down in one of the deeper parts of the caverns, Ghoulwyrm was working on his spell.

Drago said, "How much longer? I hate being underground."

"I thought dragons liked caves," said Ghoulwyrm teasingly.

"Just get on with it," said Drago coldly

"Don't worry, the field advantage is totally ours," said Ghoulwyrm, "Not to mention we've got such good bodyguards." His gaze briefly went to the Sumo Khan standing at attention.

Drago looked at the Sumo Khan. "I'm not so sure about these guys. The others didn't do much," he said,

Ghoulwyrm grinned and said, "Boys, show Drago just how strong you are."

Drago managed to say "What?" before one of the khan grabbed him round his neck. Ghoulwyrm watched as Drago was twisted into a knot and thrown at his feet. "Yeah, these guys aren't as easily smashed as the other Khan," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Point taken," rasped Drago.

Just then, the darkness around the portal flared. "Ooh, we've hooked a big one," said Ghoulwyrm. Then a demon rose from the portal. This one looked a bit like a minotaur with bulging muscles under his brown skin. His head was somewhat like the shishi's head, only with light brown stone-like scales for a mane and goatlike horns. A green loincloth dangled over his thick legs.

Ghoulwyrm bowed before the demon sorcerer and said "Oh mighty Dai Gui. I am your liberator Ghoul..." and was cut off as the demon brought his fist down on him, just Ghoulwyrm's mouth poking out where is managed "...wyrm."

"I have not time for talk," growled Dai Gui, "My kingdom needs to be submerged into the depths of the earth." He looked around and said, "This cave will make a very good start."

"Wonderful...would you be so kind as to remove your fist from my skeleton?" said Ghoulwyrm weakly.

Dai Gui turned to his new Shadowkhan minions and said, "Do not just stand there, start digging!"

The Sumo Khan walked over to walls and began to pull chunks from the rock with ease. Drago got up unsteadily. "Uncle...we'll need Ghoulwyrm uncrushed," he said.

Dai Gui lifted his fist, allowing Ghoulwyrm to crawl out from under. "Thank you," wheezed Ghoulwyrm.

Drago walked up and said, "Erm...are you ok? Your eyes are spinning?"

Ghoulwyrm stood tall proudly and said unsteadily, "I'm fine, Mrs. Batty, thank you," before walking unsteadily to his materials to get some blood for healing.

"Where is my apprentice?" demanded Dai Gui.

"Your apprentice?" asked Drago.

"If I am to make a subterranean empire, I will need assistance. You didn't forget to bring a suitable pick, did you?" growled Dai Gui.

Ghoulwyrm said, "I have several dozen centuries of magical and combat experience. I was present during the fall of the Atlanteans and..."

Dai Gui said "...You are too weak. I need an apprentice that will make the earth tremble at his passing."

Ghoulwyrm stopped before finishing under his breath "...and I hate you so much."

"Uh, should we get ready for when the Chans get here?" asked Drago.

"Then stop standing there and start digging!" snapped Dai Gui before walking towards a wall.

Ghoulwyrm said, "Hey...I'm better than any mere mortal you can find. I know spells that not only kills someone but makes them reanimate to clean up afterwards."

Dai Gui turned from the wall to said, "Then prove your worth," before picking up a boulder the size of Ghoulwyrm and holding it over him. "Lift this rock," he said before letting go. Ghoulwyrm had just long enough to say 'Mother.' weakly in Avalarian before the rock landed on him, leaving a spiderweb of cracks around it.

"My ribs..." squeaked Ghoulwyrm.

"Too flimsy," said Dai Gui, "I shall find my own apprentice." He then started digging into the cavern floor beneath, disappearing beneath the surface in seconds.

Drago walked over to the rock that Ghoulwyrm was under. "I coulda warned you, but seeing you in pain never gets old. What was that popping noise?" he said.

Ghoulwyrm's voice said, "That...was my spleen."

…

Meanwhile, the team has split up into two groups. Jackie, Matt, Chloe, Chris, Hak Fu, Tohru, Draco, and Gary were heading into the caves to find Ghoulwyrm and friends. The others stayed on the surface to clear out the civilians and to stand ready to obtain the Japanese ingredient needed when the Shadowkhan tribe was identified.

Matt shone a light down a passage. "Talk about full circle. We were in a cave the very first time that we met Ghoulwyrm," he said to Jackie.

"Don't tell me, he was in a tomb or a coffin," said Jackie.

"No...an Atlantean penal facility," said Matt.

Jackie paused at that. "What were you doing in an ancient jail?" he asked.

"We didn't know it was there. An old foe was cutting into it to raid it...somehow he got loose," said Matt, before getting on his radio, "Guys...anything?"

"All's quiet up here," said Kala's voice, "There are a couple of stragglers, but we're encouraging them to leave."

"Shoot a fireball up their butts if that helps," said Matt before seeing Jackie's face. "A small one," he added before switching channels. "Guys...anything in your cave sections?"

"Nothing yet," said Chris' voice, "Nothing here but rocks, rocks, and more rocks."

"Ok...stay alert for land sharks," said Matt, before turning his comm. off. "Hmm...maybe Uncle was wrong?" he said.

Just then, Tohru gasped and pointed ahead. Several red eyes were peering at them in the darkness. "Shadowkhan!" he cried. Chloe shone up a light and several dozen bats glared back before flying at them.

"Not again," said Jackie before the bats were on them.

"I hate my life," said Matt before falling flat to avoid the bats. Once they were gone, the group got back up. "Bloody bats," said Matt seeing more red eyes and igniting a plasma orb. "GO AWAY!" he yelled, throwing it down the corridor.

The plasma orb hit something with a slight thud. Then very large figures emerged from the shadows, ninjas twice as tall and three times as wide as Matt. "Not bats," said Matt weakly.

Chloe pushed him aside and opened fire with her blaster. A fair few of the blasts simply bounced off the Shadowkhan's skin. They just intensified their glared and kept walking forward. "Well, I guess it'll take a sumo to take down a sumo, right, Tohru?" asked Chloe.

"Actually, I'm below average size for a sumo," said Tohru.

Chloe looked at Tohru for a second. "You're smaller then a sumo?" she said in a disbelieving voice.

"Yes," said Tohru, "The official size limit for a sumo is…"

Chloe was picked up by one of the sumos in a bear hug. "Kill...it," she said.

"Hands off my sister," said Matt before punching the Sumo Khan in the hip. Matt's eye widened before yelping. "Gah...bones," he said before glaring at the sumo and going to half dragon form. "Ok, now you're in for it," said Matt before strike at the Sumo Khan's head. Fortunately, that seemed to work and the ninja dissipated into shadows.

Chloe fell to her hands and knees, "Thanks...that little pain."

Jackie said "There's 2 more." Chloe and Matt looked at the two Sumo Khan before two punches sent them down the corridor.

"Ok...ow..." moaned Matt.

Chloe growled and said, "That's it, now I'm mad."

Matt turned his comm. on. "Draco? Could you bring your team to my location? We have struck sumo," he said, rubbing his jaw.

"Have you seen the demon yet?" asked Draco.

"No...but I'm betting it'll be as big." said Matt.

Meanwhile, Chloe had gone dragoness and was attacking the Shadowkhan.

Matt got up only for a Sumo Shadowkhan to attempt to grab him. "Wait, my health insurrance's maxed out for bone damage," said Matt. The Sumo Khan just glared before getting ready to whack Matt's head off with a punch.

Tohru came out of nowhere, tackling the Khan and causing both of them to fall on Matt. "Owwwww…" he managed from underneath.

"Sorry," said Tohru before he and the Shadowkhan got up. Then they grasped hands and got into an impromptu shoving match.

Matt got up unsteadily before the last unoccupied Khan went for him, only for Matt to turn half dragon and punch it. The Shadowkhan flew backwards and into the Khan Chloe was fighting, causing them both to disperse.

Matt said, "See? Easy..." he said before, when nobody was looking, shook his hand and made a wincing look. "Concrete jaw," he muttered.

The Sumo Khan was starting to push Tohru into a wall until Jackie suddenly did a flying kick, knocking the Sumo's balance off enough for Tohru to shove him down and disperse him.

Chloe closed her eyes to shift back to human before saying, "All we had to do was find the demon. Simple. I should have known better."

Suddenly, the entire cave started to shake. The gang was knocked off their feet by the tremor. Suddenly, the wall opened up nearby and Dai Gui stepped through. "There he is," said Matt, hysterically before throwing a plasma orb at him.

Dai Gui winced very slightly before turning to look at Matt and Chloe. "You," he rumbled, pointing at Chloe, "The failed apprentice of my brother Tchang Zu."

"Got that right, bulky," said Chloe before throwing a lightning bolt at Dai Gui's horns. However, the attack had no effect at all, not even making him blink.

"Earth grounds electricity," muttered Matt to her.

Chloe said, "Right...we're dead."

Matt however said, "Hey, block head. Try this on," before charging up a two handed plasma orb and throwing it in Dai Gui's face.

Dai Gui was buffeted back a step, but the blast just made him angrier. The Earth Demon reached up and snapped off a stalactite before throwing it at Matt. Matt ducked it before looking back to where it stuck into the wall. "Stop vandalizing national parks," he said angrily.

"You, you were Shendu's apprentice, were you not?" growled Dai Gui.

"Oh, he told you guys about me?" asked Matt.

Dai Gui said, "You were as bad as my brother," before aiming to crush Matt to the bedrock when he spotted Jackie and Tohru. "Jackie Chan and his overweight companion, I should have known you'd be here," growled the Earth Demon before stomping towards Jackie and Tohru.

Matt said into his comm. "Draco? Anyone? Help."

Dai Gui slammed his fist into the cavern floor, causing cracks to branch out from it and fissures to form beneath the gang, making them fall in. Then Dai Gui closed his fist and the fissures sealed up with them trapped in the ground. "I should bury you here, but I am too busy right now," said Dai Gui, "Must find an apprentice." He then walked into a wall, virtually melting into the stone.

"Well, this is a fine mess you got us into," said Chloe.

"My fault?" asked Matt.

"Yeah, you just had to provoke him," said Chloe.

"Oh, like you didn't?" asked Matt.

"He didn't notice my attack. You had to throw plasma orbs in his face," said Chloe.

"It really wasn't a good idea," said Jackie.

"Dai Gui is too sturdy to be taken down like that," said Tohru.

Matt said, "You think I didn't know that? If there is one thing I truly hate...IT'S. DAMN. DEMONS!" he said, a glow forming round him as he yelled the last three words before a plasma aura blasted the rocks apart.

Shortly after that, the gang climbed out of the rubble. "Hey, it got us out, didn't it?" said Matt.

Chloe turned on her comm. and said, "Hey Uncle, we've got a confirmation. It's definitely the Earth Demon."

"Good, all we need is a flower then," said Uncle.

Matt said, "Wait...is it a specific flower?"

"No, any kind of flower will do, so long as it's not from a tree," said Uncle.

Matt and Chloe let out a sigh of relief. "Thank god. No travelling to Mount Doom and back for the magical fairy stick of custard," said Matt.

"One more thing, did you see which Shadowkhan he was using?" asked Uncle.

"Yeah, the big sumo-sized ones," said Chloe.

"AIYA! That is much harder! Japanese ingredient is very rare seaweed."

Matt stopped at that. "What?" he said, a more worrying view given his fury had temporarily trapped him in hybrid form. He looked at the others before bursting into tears on Jackie's shoulder. "It's not faiiiir!" he wailed.

"Sensei, where will we find seaweed in Kentucky?" asked Tohru.

"Let Uncle worry about that," said Uncle, "You must try to contain the Earth Demon and keep him from submerging anything from the surface. One more thing, you must prevent him from finding an apprentice."

Matt glared. "Do you want us to move the moon slightly to the left too?" he said, clearly on the edge of psychosis.

Kala took over from the other end, "Don't worry, we'll have the banishing spell ready soon. And there's no one left in the caves for Dai Gui to subvert."

Matt stopped dead at that. "Erm...we'll call you back shortly," he said switching the comm to Draco's group. "Draco? Pick up or die," he said sweetly.

The comm. answered, "Hey guys, what's up?"

Matt sighed with relief and said, "We need to regroup, can you get our coordinates?"

Draco said, "Erm...I can barely hear you. Tons of static..." before a rumbling was heard over the comm.

"Draco, Draco? Can you hear me? Draco!" However, only static came through.

…

Draco looked at his comm. which had cut out, the rumbling noise being heard. "Not a good time," he said, shaking it only for it to say 'Warning...extreme magi source is jamming comms.'

"That's definitely not a good sign," said Gary before suddenly the cavern floor beneath them burst upwards, throwing them in every direction. Dai Gui soon rose up from the rock.

The demon looked around before he saw Hak Fu. "I remember you...you were with the human my brother was inside," he growled.

"I don't work for demons anymore. BADGER SLASHES MOLE!" yelled Hak Fu before attacking Dai Gui's leg. Dai Gui looked down at Hak Fu in the same air an elephant would give an attack by a rogue hamster before kicking him. Hak Fu was slammed into a wall. "Snail...rests...in shell..." he wheezed before falling down.

Gary said to himself, "Ok, Gary...time for you to shine," before charging at Dai Gui, shifting to his hybrid form for better punch Gary jumped up and cried, "Bat, uh, Crumbles Mountain?" Dai Gui easily spotted Gary coming and caught him in his hand.

Dai Gui lifted him up and sniffed him. "You smell of necromancy," he said.

"Well, I'm not really the type to boast, or give understandable explanations," said Gary.

Dai Gui glared at Gary. "You are useless. Out of my sight," he said before throwing Gary into Hak Fu.

Hak Fu was just starting to get up when Gary flew into him. "Ow..." groaned both of them.

Draco looked at Dai Gui turned to look at him. "I'm not gonna be a pushover," he said,

"Hey, Rocky, how about you try me on for size?" said Chris before changing to his beast form and pouncing on the demon's back.

Dai Gui didn;t seem to feel it too much before he smashed his back against the wall and grabbed the semi-conscious Chris before he sniffed him. "Urgh...technology," he said before throwing Chris aside.

Quite ironically, Chris ended up being thrown into Hak Fu and Gary as they were getting up. "Ow..." groaned all three.

Draco was the last one standing...literally. He looked around before grabbing a large rock and pulling it out of the wall. "Ok, you overgrown ram," said Draco, "It's time for you to get packing." He threw the rock at Dai Gui. Dai Gui's had not turned to Draco yet at the moment so he ended up being hit and thrown down the passageway a bit.

Dai Gui got up again. "Who threw that..." he began.

Draco growled and said, "And there's plenty more where that came from, you big-"

"Impressive," said Dai Gui.

Draco stopped mid-insult, getting a feeling of how Matt's in his permanent state of hair trigger insanity felt.

Dai Gui stood up and said, "I haven't knocked down like that since Chan wore that armor. And to do it with my own element, no easy feat."

Draco gulped at this. "Erm...well...I do try my best," he said. He had already gotten an idea. No doubt the rest of the gang were headed to his location, probably with the banishment spell. All he had to do was keep the giant lug head talking. "It's not really that much of a surprise," said Draco, "I was designed to lift 6000 times my own weight, you know."

Dai Gui walked towards Draco, "An impressive creature...a perfect apprentice."

Draco backed up and said, "Oh, you don't want me. I'm a flyer. I'm not that good with underground stuff, not that earthy."

"You will be learning from the best," said Dai Gui, making the cave section entrance close just as Matt and his gang ran into view.

"I'm not that great a learner," said Draco, "Built for strength, not smarts. You'd definitely want to find someone better than me."

"And that is wrong? The strong have always led," said Dai Gui.

Draco nodded, "That's is true...WAIT...I DIDN'T MEAN THAT!"

Dai Gui grinned as his fist glowed blue. Suddenly, the rock around Draco started glowing blue before rising up and starting to cover him.

Draco managed to yell "NO!" before the rock covered him. At the same time, the blockage Dai Gui had made exploded inwards.

"Ok, ram face...rounds two!" yelled Matt, walking through in hybrid form.

Dai Gui pulled another large stone out of the wall and threw it at Matt. Matt however proved his hybrid form had a bit more punch by vaporizing the rock in mid air. "Not this time, buster," he said. Dai Gui, however, kept pulling out more stones to throw at Matt.

The two were in a stalemate when the rest arrived, Dai Gui throwing rocks only for Matt to atomize them in mid air. Chloe sighed and said, "Figures, why think when you can just throw projectiles like crazy?"

Jackie had walked over to the rock 'cocoon'. "What's in here?" he said, tapping it. Just then, a paw burst out of the 'cocoon' with a roar. Jackie yelped and jumped back, thumping his chest.

Chloe ran over at that as the paw grabbed Jackie by the shirt before pulling him free. "What the hell?" she said.

Suddenly, cracks radiated all over the cocoon as the roaring grew louder. Then it burst apart, revealing a much different Draco. Instead of being lean like a lizard, his body proportions were more like that of a gorilla. He still had his tail and wings, but they looked smaller compared to the rest of his body. His head looked like a close blend of his and Dai Gui's, with blood red eyes, a goatee, and his horns in the same formation.

This got everyone's attention, unfortunately including Matt who managed to say "What the hell is...OOF!" before a rock slammed into him.

"Ah, my apprentice," said Dai Gui as he turned and walked towards Draco.

Draco turned to bow before Dai Gui. "Master," he said in a deeper version of his usual voice.

The rock Matt was under glowed before a red beam of null plasma cut it lengthways. Draconus stood up and said in a slightly dizzy voice "Ok...now we're mad. WHO THREW THE GEOGRAPHY AT ME?"

Dai Gui turned and said, "This one does not stay down."

"Allow me, master," said Draco before punching the ground in front of him, creating a concentrated wave of soil and rock to head right for Draconus.

Draconus smirked before blasting it apart with null plasma. "Draco...decided to join team: evil, I see. Shame you forgot that I got a bit more punch then Mr. Goody Two Shoes," he said.

"That was just the first wave," said Draco, "Get ready for the aftershock." Before Draconus could comprehend what Draco meant, the crack in the floor under his legs, created by the same attack, opened up and caused him to fall down.

Draco suddenly winced and fell onto his hands and knees. "Whoa, that took a lot out of me," he said.

Dai Gui glared as another null bolt blasted Draconus's way to freedom. "You are still far from ready. We shall depart till you are ready to crush them," he said.

"Yes, master," said Draco before they started sinking into the ground.

Draconus pulled himself out. "I'LL RIP YOU TO PIECES!" he yelled, firing as they vanished.

Just then, Jackie, Tohru, and Chloe ran in. "For crying out loud, can't you wait for everyone else?" snapped Chloe after she caught her breath.

Draconus said, "They threw a rock at your brother. What was I supposed to do? Let him be turned into jam?"

Chloe sighed and said, "Not Draconus again. Be a good shoulder devil and go back into Matt's subconscious."

"That's what I mean. Your brother received a free delivery of 1200kg of granite to the face. He's in no state to come out…" said Draconus before wincing at an unheard voice and saying grimly, "He's singing..."

"You know I'd prefer Matt's body to be in a mild coma than let you wander around, right?" said Chloe.

"He's tough, I admit it, but he's obviously not the brightest of his siblings," said Chloe, "Shouldn't be too hard to trick him."

"Yeah...and your lightning bolt trick worked SOOOO well last time," taunted Draconus.

"And you can do better?" retorted Chloe.

"I was doing pretty well. He ran off, didn't he?" said Draconus before saying, "Where's that old fogey from the shop where you greased me?" he said before wincing at an 'AIYA!' behind him.

The group turned around to see Uncle's group. "Uncle, did you find the seaweed?" asked Jackie.

"Had to go all the way to the Newport Aquarium, but we got it," said Jade.

Uncle pointed at Draconus. "What is dragon boy's dark side doing in control?" he said.

Draconus said sarcastically, "Hello...nice to see you too."

Kala sighed and said, "Draconus, now is not a really good time. We've got an Earth Demon to banish and we rather not have two berserkers with no consideration for collateral damage running loose."

"Oh please...I don't do half as much damage as Matt," said Draconus.

Chris said, "What about the time you shot Omnirus into a car shop...then blew it up."

"He was asking for it," said Draconus.

Chloe grabbed Draconus by the ear and pulled. "Look...you're only here because we need a heavy hitter like my brother. Misbehave and I will break every bone in your body," she hissed.

"Uh, you know that's Matt's body too," said Chip.

Chloe said, "He's bound to have done something to deserve it."

"Can we please focus?" asked Jackie, "Dai Gui is still out there. He'll be even more dangerous now that he's found an apprentice."

"Who's the unlucky sap this time?" asked Jade.

"Draco," said Draconus.

Contrinus said, "Why do we care about that creep? He and Ghoulwyrm deserve all they get."

Draconus said "I said 'Draco', birdbrain."

Contrinus laughed in the same way Matt did when he was the verge of a meltdown. "No, you meant Drago, as in Shendu's son," she said.

"No, I mean Draco, with a 'c', not a 'g', as in your boyfriend," said Draconus.

Continus was silent for a minute before she shouted, "WHAAAAAAAAAT?" creating a bright red flare that forced everyone to cover their eyes.

Draconus said, "Your crush went over to the dark side. That's what happened," before a solar blast knocked him flying "Someone's overreacting a bit," he groaned.

"Draconus, I wouldn't tempt her," said Chip, "Remember the last time you got her ire directed at you?"

"Oh, for smeg's sake...there is a demon that controls earth loose and we're surrounded by said earth. I don't think that there is much she can do that Dai Gui can't do to us," said Draconus

"Worst off is that he's got Draco," said Chloe, "And I bet Draco has a lot more imagination than Dai Gui."

"I vote we head to the surface before Draco tells Dai Gui about the garbage compactor scene from Star Wars," said Draconus

"As much as I hate to say it, Draconus has a point," said Jackie, "We can't fight them down here. They have too much of an advantage."

Draconus said, "Good...now which way's the exit?"

"Uh, back that way, right?" asked Jade, pointing towards where they came in.

…

Meanwhile, Drago was helping Ghoulwyrm find his arm, which had been knocked off when he had been squashed. The main problem with being undead was that sometimes, detached limbs were reluctant to come back. Drago was trying to reach where the hand was hiding while Ghoulwyrm glared at Draco being trained by Dai Gui. "What's he got that I haven't?" he muttered

"Durability?" suggested Drago as he made a grab for the hand.

"No, Draco's only durability difference is that he's got a pulse," said Ghoulwyrm before saying, "Try and tempt it...otherwise..." before the hand tweaked Drago on the snout and scuttled between his legs.

Draco snarled and said, "It's your hand, shouldn't you be able to control it?"

"My brood mother always said I should control my hands better. I guess she was serious," said Ghoulwyrm, "That experiment will be nothing but trouble."

"I don't know, he seems loyal enough," said Drago.

"Don't you remember the others?" snapped Ghoulwyrm, "They may be corrupted, but they're the same personalities. Matt and Chloe showed restraint towards attacking each other. Chip got scared into a nervous wreck when he saw how high he was. Anton...well, he's the odd one out. But my gut says that Contrinus will be able to win Draco back over."

Drago said, "So? Just fry the firebird."

"Not so easy, she has very strong regeneration powers," said Ghoulwyrm, "But we wouldn't have to worry about that if Dai Gui made me his apprentice."

Drago rolled his eyes at that before suddenly jumping out and grabbing Ghoulwyrm's rogue bodypart. "Gotcha, you little pain," he said. However, Ghoulwyrm's hand slipped out and wrapped itself around Drago's throat.

Ghoulwyrm jumped at that. "Hey...stop that," he said to it before yelping in pain as Drago fried his rogue hand. "I STILL FEEL PAIN!" he yelled

Drago pulled off the hand and tossed it to Ghoulwyrm. "All considering though, we've got a better upper hand this time," said Drago, "The second the Chans walked in here, Draco could drop the ceiling on them, literally. Not to mention all the Sumo Khan ready to take them out."

"Yes...I doubt the Lynches will have missed that," said Ghoulwyrm before saying, "Unless we lure them in..."

"Luring requires bait," said Drago, "And I don't think we have anything that the Lynches would bite at."

"We do have the ability to manipulate one of their number...Contrinus'll move the moon to get to Draco," said Ghoulwyrm before interrupting Drago's imminent objection, "I never said she'd get here intact."

"You positive this will work?" asked Drago, "There's a large margin for error here."

"It will work," he said before doing a perfect impersonation of Draco's voice, "I do have some talents."

"Neat, do James Woods," said Drago.

…

Meanwhile, Contrinus was not in a good mood. Chloe, Jade and Kala had taken her aside for a girls talk. Given Matt's current state of mind and the fact the rest of the mercs had all the tact of a missile strike, it seemed a good idea.

"Contrinus, you know this isn't the first time Draco's been...drafted by the dark forces," said Chloe, "We'll just find him and return him to normal like we've done before."

Contrinus glared and said, "This happened before?"

"Hey, we've came back from far worse circumstances, right girls?" asked Kala.

Contrinus said, "I feel like it's something I did. I coulda stopped that demon if I'd been there."

"Demons are a lot trickier than they look," said Jade, "Trust me, they have a way of getting around defenses."

Kala's comm. began to beep at that. Kala looked at it confused before turning it on. The screen was pure static but the voice was clear. Draco's voice said, "Guys? Anyone? Is anyone there?"

Contrinus snatched the comm. and said, "Draco? Draco, is that you? Are you alright?"

"Contrinus? Is that you? I barely got away from Dai Gui. I don't know where the exit is," said Draco's voice.

"Try to send us your coordinates," said Contrinus, "We'll come and find you."

"I'm back where Dai Gui tried to corrupt me," said Draco's voice before the signal began to break up

"Draco? Are you there? Draco? DRACO!" Contrinus turned to the others and said, "We've gotta go help him. He needs us."

Kala said, "Contrinus. This is too easy. It's gotta be a trick."

"But we have to help him. We have to," said Contrinus.

"Listen, Contrinus, I know you're eager to get your boyfriend back," said Chloe, "But blindly rushing in would do more harm than good."

"Oh, what do you know?" snapped Contrinus, "You never even had a boyfriend."

Chloe's face seemed to harden at that. For a second, there was silence before Chloe said something in Avalarian and walked off. Kala said, "That was too far, Contrinus."

"Well, how would you feel if that was Matt?" responded Contrinus.

Kala said, "He wouldn't want me to walk into a trap..."

"You know, I think I should go check on the others," said Jade before walking away.

Jade left the two arguing and went over to where Megan was watching Gary fighting a bush apparently...and losing.

"Weasel...Slashes Bush?" said Gary before he tried to swipe off a branch, only for said branch to hit him in the face.

Megan said, "Erm. Maybe you should practice on something smaller?"

Gary said, "I'm not gonna screw up again...OW!" before another branch hit him.

Jade sighed and said, "Maybe I should be giving you tips. The Ancient Art of Butt-Whoop is much better than getting smacked by a branch."

"What he needs to do is stop pretending he's a martial arts students and fight his own way," said Megan.

Gary said, "I'm not fighting that way again. I'm not gonna see you or any of my friends get hurt."

"But you aren't going to hurt us," said Megan, "You know how to tell between friend and foe."

"That is not a risk I'm willing to take," said Gary, "I shall become a martial artist or I am not worth being at your side."

"But you don't need to prove- ARGH!" snapped Megan before smacking her forehead.

Kala ran up at that. "I think we've sorted it out. Contrinus says she's gonna wait," she said, the others seeing Contrinus fly away behind her.

"Uh, you know how you experiments are so headstrong?" asked Megan.

Kala stopped at that. "She lied to me, didn't she," she said dully and wincing as the others nodded. Kala sighed and said, "Then we better head after her so the traps won't get her."

Meanwhile, Draconus was putting up with Uncles scrutiny. "Are you still touchy over the last time?" he said smugly.

"You left extra big mess in shop to clean up afterwards," said Uncle, "You expect Uncle to forget that?"

Draconus said, "Look...I was only making a point...to be fair, it was a trap."

"Will you guys give it a rest already?" asked Chris, "You've been at it ever since our groups met up. Change the subject already."

Draconus said, "Fine...I think I should catch up with Kala," turning to see said Kala who punched him.

"Sorry, I don't talk to body-snatchers, especially the demented kinds," said Kala.

Draconus rubbed his jaw, "Fine...jerk."

Chris sniggered before doing a mental count, "Where's Contrinus?"

Kala said, "That's why we came..."

…

Meanwhile, Contrinus was flying around in the cave, so frantically that she somewhat resembled a hummingbird. "DRACO!" she called, shining a light into a side tunnel.

"Contrinus? Is that you?" said Draco's voice.

"Yes, it's me," said Contrinus, "I'm so glad I found you."

Draco's silhouette was round a corner. "I'm glad you came...I need your help...my wing," he said,

"Of course, I'll heal it right up," said Contrinus, moving towards Draco's silhouette.

Drago suddenly appeared behind Contrinus, grabbing her. "Gotcha," he said.

"What the- Draco, help!" cried Contrinus.

The shape began to move forward before the voice said, "I'm sorry...Draco can't come to the phone right now," before the voice started laughing, changing to Ghoulwyrm's voice. Suddenly, 'Draco's' head burst open and Ghoulwyrm floated out, leaving an empty skin behind."Do you like it, my dear? I've been practicing," said Ghoulwyrm.

Contrinus glared and said, "You filthy snake, you're going to pay for that!"

"Nope. Just in case you're wondering, I put together a little hand balm for Drago, so you can't roast us. You see, you're the only one who can snap Draco out of it so I thought I should get rid of you," said Ghoulwyrm.

"I'll fry you as soon as I get out of here!" snapped Contrinus.

"No you won't. I remember a little trick that Elder Red once liked. Do you know what it's like to be petrified?" said Ghoulwyrm, grinning evilly.

"Cheap talk," said Contrinus, "You don't have that kind of magic.

"Don't I?" said Ghoulwyrm. Ghoulwyrm readied a grey orb of energy. "Like I said...I've been practicing," he said, before throwing it in Contrinus's face.

…

Meanwhile, Dai Gui was finding problems with his new apprentice just like his sister did. Draco kept being two-minded about his work. "You must concentrate," said Dai Gui as another of Draco's exercises, forming a simulacrum of his hand in rock, fell apart.

"I just can't focus on anything," said Draco, "I'm worried."

Dai Gui went up and said, "You worry for someone in your old life? That life is over, you should forget them."

"I try to, but I just can't," said Draco.

Dai Gui snorted and said, "They are your enemies now...remember that. Now...again," gesturing to where the simulacrum had been.

Just then, Ghoulwyrm and Drago came through an archway. "So, any progress while we were gone?" asked Ghoulwyrm.

Dai Gui said, "He is too connected to his old life. It interferes with his training."

"He really ought to get over it," said Ghoulwyrm, "You can't just keep living in the past."

Dai Gui seemed to have a few good brain cells as he said, "And I suppose you have handled this problem. I saw you preparing a spell with Shendu's son."

"Oh, I think we've found a solution," said Ghoulwyrm, "Now we just need to find a good way to present it."

Drago said, "Why not blame the Lynches?"

"Could work, but Matt and Chloe don't seem like the most magically-gifted types," said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago pulled Ghoulwyrm aside and said quietly, "He's running on Uncle Dai Gui's chi and he isn't exactly the sharpest tool around."

Ghoulwyrm nodded and said, "True, and anger is really blinding."

Drago smirked. "Now then...let's get our sympathetic faces on. We don't want him to catch on and go for us instead," he said

"Right, right, remember, somber expressions," said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago nodded and they turned back to Dai Gui. "Uncle...we have tragic news for your apprentice."

…

Meanwhile, the gang was following Contrinus' trail. Fortunately, she had been so worried about Draco that she had started molting a little, leaving a trail of feathers behind her.

Draconus said, "Ok...we're almost there...gah..." he said, grabbing his jaw as his teeth were literally set on edge, so much magic present that his teeth morphed to his dragon form's. "This can't be good," he said.

"What is it?" asked Chloe.

"Magic, this area's thick with it," said Draconus.

"Dark magic no doubt," said Uncle, "We must be getting close."

Kala ran ahead and stopped, "Oh boy...Draco's gonna be upset."

Draconus ran round the corner with Chloe and saw the statue in the middle of the floor, a surprised look on its face. "I always said she had a stony personality when she was pissed," said Draconus

Draconus jumped "Careful...Matt's in here too. It's bad enough he's singling..."

Chloe shrugged and called loudly, "KEEP IT UP, BRO!"

Uncle whacked both Matt and Chloe on the forehead and snapped, "Uncle is trying to work here." He looked closely at Contrinus and said, "This is the work of a curse."

Draconus said, "I've seen it before. Dragon did it once to one of Matt's friends," suddenly all business and peering at the statue.

"Too bad we don't have the Horse Talisman on us," said Jade.

"Horse Talisman is healing talisman, not restoration talisman," said Uncle.

Draconus tapped Contrinus's beak. "Hmm...it's an Avalarian spell. Bet you anything this was old Ghoulie's handiwork," he said

"What are we going to do with her now?" asked Kala.

"Magic must undo magic," said Uncle, "I will return phoenix back to normal."

"Good...hmm...Red used this for a specific...uh oh," said Draconus, paling.

"What? What is it?" asked Kala.

"Remember what Red did with this spell?" asked Draconus.

"I wasn't on Avalar at the time," said Kala.

Chloe however had also caught on. "Oh no...no, no, no..." she said, seeing the ground start to shake, "Grab the statue and leg it. We gotta get out."

"Right," said Chip and tried to pick up Contrinus, with little success. "Of course, she couldn't be turned into a lighter stone like pumice, could she?" he muttered.

Draconus turned dragon and picked up Contrinus "If you want something done..." he muttered.

Chloe said threateningly, "You'd better not chip her."

"She could stand to lose a pound or two," said Draconus.

They were almost out the cavern when Draco smashed his way into view. He looked like he was almost foaming at the mouth. "WHERE IS SHE?" He roared.

Draconus hid Contrinus behind his back. "Where is who?" he asked innocently.

Draco glared and his hand glowed, causing Contrinus to fly into view. "They were right..."said Draco, in a disbelieving voice.

"Uh, we just found her like that," said Chloe, "We didn't do anything to her." Draco roared and sent a hail of stone spikes at Chloe. Chloe gave a yipe before ducking under them. "Draco, you should really calm down and try to listen," she said.

Draco roared "NEVER...I WILL KILL YOU IN MY MASTER'S...!" before being knocked sideways by a null plasma blast from Draconus. "Oh, shut up, ya stone windbag," he said.

Draco growled before breathing flames straight into the ground. "Oh please, at least try to aim at me," said Draconus.

"Uh, Draconus, don't you know what you get when you mix fire and earth?" asked Megan.

Draconus yelped and shifted to hybrid form to take off just as the rock under him softened into lava. "NOW we're leaving, tell the US government to send me the bill," he said before aiming a blast towards the ceiling and the surface.

Fortunately, Draco had been underground for so long that the sudden sunlight blinded him for a minute. Draconus yelled "What are you waiting for? Go."

"Not everyone has wings you know," said Chloe as she and Kala turned into dragon form.

Draconus snorted and flew down, grabbing Uncle just before the ground turned to lava. "Don't even think about complaining," he said.

The experiments, Jackie, Hak Fu, and Jade were able to jump onto the stalagmites and jump up through the hole, Gary carried Megan up, but Tohru was the biggest problem, in both senses of the word.

Chloe and Kala, in full dragon form finally managed to lift him up by working together. "Urgh, too small to be a sumo my scaly foot," grunted Chloe as she struggled to remain airborne.

The group landed just on the surface outside. Matt dropped Uncle before looking at the hole. "Hmm...some good work if I say so," he said to himself.

The others climbed out of the hole after him. "That was a natural formation, which is governmentally protected, that you damaged," said Chip in an annoyed voice.

Draconus landed and turned back to human before saying, "Me? It was ram face and Draco down there who turned it into a volcano."

"Oh sure, the park rangers will definitely buy that," said Megan sarcastically.

Draconus strolled over to Megan and leaned her over the side to reveal the lava before pulling her back. "We've got visual aids," he said.

"Well, now that Dai Gui has a lava channel flowing, he'll be redesigning the park much quicker now," said Jackie.

"Tch, the park? Try all of Kentucky," said Jade.

"Yup...like that docu-drama, 'super volcano'. We have a choice here: we gotta take him and Draco out...or we all cooked," said Draconus.

"Or we can banish Dai Gui and cancel out his power over the surrounding terra firma and Draco," said Chloe.

"Yeah. He thinks we petrified his pet bird. He'll crush us in a second," retorted Draconus.

"Hey, if we can expose old scarlet-face, we can expose Ghoulwyrm," said Chloe.

"If I was Ghoulwyrm, I'd make sure we can't do that this time," said Draconus.

"And the best way he could do that..." started Jackie.

"Is by destroying the evidence," finished Jade.

Draconus turned in time to see several Shadowkhan shifting in around Contrinus along with Ghoulwyrm. "ZOMBIE DUDE...I've wanted a shot at you for years," he said, firing a null plasma orb at him.

"Oh, not you again," said Ghoulwyrm before blasting the orb with his plasma fire breath.

Draconus blasted two Khans aside before pulling out his ion blade and cutting off one of Ghoulwyrm's arms as he prepared a spell in it. "Naughty, naughty...petrifying people I know," said Draconus before kneeing Ghouleyrm and slicing him again.

Ghoulwyrm winced and said, "I never thought I'd prefer to see someone's good side rather than their dark side."

Draconus shrugged. "You shouldn't throw rocks at him," he said before breaking Ghoulwyrm's primary jaw.

Ghoulwyrm gave a roar of pain before unleashing a major shock from both of his lightning rods.

Draconus was knocked over before he jumped back up. "Oh please...Matt's been electrocuted too many times for that to work. I'm gonna do what Matt never could. I'm gonna take you out," he said before lunging.

Ghoulwyrm smacked him aside with his tail. "I'm immortal, imbecile," said Ghoulwyrm through his second mouth, "You don't have the means to eliminate me." Ghoulwyrm walked towards Contrinus's statue . "Such a shame...I almost liked you...nah, what am I saying? I'm gonna enjoy this," he said, igniting a fireball in his remaining hand.

"What's going on here?" asked a voice. Ghoulwyrm spun around to see Draco, hiding the fireball behind his back as he did.

"Oh...I was trying to...rescue your love. They were about to destroy her," Ghoulwyrm said nervously.

"Then why not just have the Shadowkhan take her back to base?" asked Draco.

"She is...too fragile to be moved. Who knows how she was booby trapped," said Ghoulwyrm.

Draconus started laughing from where he was slumped. "Oh...that's rich...that's is so rich. You'd believe him?" he said.

"Ghoulwyrm's assisting my master, why would he go behind my back?" asked Draco.

"Because he's evil, like me, I'm evil too, and I wouldn't trust me as far as I could throw myself," said Draconus, watching as a wisp of smoke rose from behind Ghoulwyrm and a strained look appeared on his face.

"Then I should probably get rid of you first," said Draco, turning towards Matt.

"Oh...you could...but then you'd be letting the person who has a readied fireball in his hand smash your dear Contrinus," said Draconus.

"Say what?" asked Draco.

Ghoulwyrm finally yelped and a fireball fell into view behind him where it melted a hole in the ground. "Erm...my hand was cold?" he said

Draco growled and started advancing towards Ghoulwyrm, the ground rumbling with every step. Ghoulwyrm gulped. "Now then...let's not be hasty. It was for your own good. A soul only gets underfoot," he said

Draco growled even louder. "Dude, run," said Draconus.

Ghoulwyrm tried to run only to run straight into a wall of rock that hadn't been there a second before. "Oh no," he said weakly before Draco made another one form behind Ghoulwyrm and cause them to sandwich Ghoulwyrm between them. "This is not my day," groaned Ghoulwyrm.

Draconus watched with interest as Draco proceeded to make the rock sandwich squash Ghoulwyrm over and over. "You missed a bit," he said to Draco, holding up the arm he'd severed from Ghoulwyrm earlier.

"But I just had that put back on," groaned Ghoulwyrm.

Draco grabbed the hand and crushed it, making Ghoulwyrm yelp as he pulled himself free. "It was for your own good. You think they'll let you keep that power?" he said, trying the ego approach.

Draconus said, "Don't listen to him, turn him into pate, re-enact the trash compactor from Star Wars."

Draco was about to comply when Ghoulwyrm turned intangible and sunk into the ground. Draconus shrugged. "You just need a little more speed," he said as the others turned up and were surprised to see Draco not squashing Draconus.

"Uh, isn't Draco supposed to be attacking us?" asked Jackie.

"Nope...not since Ghoulwyrm tried to make Contrinus into gravel," said Draconus, smugly. Draco suddenly grinned before thumping the ground. "What was that...for..." The last part came out as a squeak when a spike of earth came out of the ground and hit Draconus between the legs. "Ow...I hate demons," said Draconus before falling down

"Glad to have you on our side again, brother," said Chip.

"I'm not," said Draco, "I just came for what's mine." He took the Contrinus statue and started descending into the ground again.

Draconus said in a squeak, "I'm gonna kill him."

"Calm down," said Chip, "Draco's still bound to his master. It was Ghoulwyrm who wanted to smash Contrinus, not Dai Gui. We still have to banish the head honcho in order to get Draco back."

…

Meanwhile, Draco had presented the statue to Dai Gui and explained Ghoulwyrm's 'Treachery'. "The necromancer was plotting behind our backs," said Draco, "He intended to deceive me into believing Contrinus was disposed of by the Lynches to further subvert me. We must punish him for his transgression."

Dai Gui said, "I do not care what that worm was thinking. We have a kingdom to rebuild."

"But Master, he was trying to destroy my love, in both senses," said Draco.

"She can wait, she's perfectly preserved, just keep working," said Dai Gui.

Draco stamped his foot as Dai Gui turned his back, "No...she is my love and I will not leave her in this state."

"She is stone, she can wait a thousand years if you wanted," snapped Dai Gui.

Draco snarled at that, "I will not leave her in this state a minute longer!"

"You are to leave her be until we're finished with our work!" snapped Dai Gui.

Draco growled at that and sent a boulder flying at Dai Gui, roaring, "NOOO!"

Dai Gui roared and tossed a boulder back at Draco.

Draco smashed the rock that hit him and lunged at Dai Gui. "I WILL NOT LEAVE HER LIKE THAT!" he roared

"YOU WILL DO AS I COMMAND!" roared Dai Gui before throwing another rock at Draco.

"Then save her...please," said Draco, after the rock had knocked him back.

Dai Gui snorted. "You are an earth demon...do it yourself," he said, before turning back to his work again.

Draco growled and said, "Fine," before turning to Contrinus. He focused hard and tried concentrating motion in her. Her form started creaking as it began to move. The look on her face began to unfreeze until she looked around. Contrinus slowly turned to see the concentrating Draco before shrieking and jumping back, causing Draco to jump too.

"Whoa, whoa, easy there, it's me, Draco," said Draco.

Contrinus stopped before saying in a grating voice. "Draco...what has that demon done to you?" She stopped as she looked at her own stone self. "WHAT'S HE DONE TO ME?"

"Calm down," said Draco, "Ghoulwyrm turned you to stone and I was changing you back. You just...interrupted me halfway through."

"You...Draco...How do I know this isn't another trick?" said Contrinus, suspiciously.

"I caught Ghoulwyrm redhanded, well, purplehanded," said Draco.

Contrinus looked over at where Dai Gui was. "Why are you still working for him?"

Draco paused and said, "Well... he's building his own underground kingdom. That's pretty cool, right?"

"He's evil. You're working for evil, Draco," said Contrinus, a bit shocked at Draco.

"Well, Dai Gui's definitely stubborn, and more than a little thick-headed, but he doesn't really strike me as a great menace," said Draco.

"He's a demon sorcerer. Have you forgotten the rest of them?" said Contrinus, angrily.

"Er...um...say, check out my new armor. Dai Gui just gave it to me," He indicated his armor, which looked like it was made of rocks held together in a chainmail-like fashion, which it practically was.

Contrinus glared. "Don't try and throw me off. Can't you see that he's corrupting you?" she said.

"Have I mentioned that I have my own sumo-sized minions?" asked Draco.

Contrinus said, "This is wrong. You need to let the others help you...get that demon chi out of you."

"But I like be able to move the earth around," said Draco, "And check out these muscles."

Contrinus said stubbornly, "It's me or him...you don't get both."

"Contrinus..." whined Draco.

Contrinus said, "You're turning into something bad...I just...can't."

"Hey, I still care for you," said Draco, "I stopped Ghoulwyrm from smashing you, didn't I?"

"If you care for me...then get cured. You don't need this power," said Contrinus.

Before Draco could reply, a rumbling sound was heard. "What was that?" asked Draco, looking up.

Just then, a large section of the ceiling was blown out. From the other side of the gaping hole, a voice was yelling, "Government-protected natural formation, did you not listen?"

Draconus was heard, "Yeah, natural government protected, fines ahoy blah de blah. I got us in, didn't I...OW!"

Draco sighed and said, "Great, those guys again. Can't they ever just use a door?"

"What door?" asked Contrinus.

Draconus and Chloe were first down the hole. "Draco...time to take your medicine," said Draconus.

Draco looked annoyed and said, "You know, you're actually a worse pain in the neck than Matt."

Draconus cracked his knuckles. "Look, I would love to just peel you apart, but I have to play nice, so... Oh, Contrinus is moving," he said.

"Contrinus, how can you be stone and moving?" asked Chloe.

"I accidentally interrupted Draco undoing my petrification spell," said Contrinus.

Draco glared. "Get away from her," he snarled before sending a rock at the Lynches.

The two of them dodged out of the way. "Why couldn't it have been a less abundant element?" said Chloe.

Contrinus tried to move and yelled "DRACO...THEY WANNA HELP YOU!"

"They're invading our turf," growled Draco before sending a wave of earth at the two of them.

Draconus changed to hybrid and flew over the wave. "Mr. Uncle, get on with whatever you're doing. He's not easily distracted."

"Here's mud in your eye," said Draco before throwing a blot of mud up and into Draconus' face, temporarily blinding him.

Contrinus yelled, "STOP IT, DRACO!"

Meanwhile, the others had come down through the hole and the Sumo Khan were attacking them. Chris and Techo had ended up on the short end of this situation. The Sumo's proved pretty resistant to anything that the duo could toss at them

"C'mon, these guys have to have some kind of weakness," said Techo as he continued shooting at one.

Chris fired several shots into the roof, sending a hail of stalactites down on the luckless Khan. The Khan was destroyed by the concentrated cave-in.

Jade however was having more luck. The Khan seemed to sense her current abilities and were being cautious. "C'mon, there's plenty of dragon to go around," she said before throwing a white fireball at one. The fireball vaporized the luckless Khan with ease. However several more appeared in its place.

The only one not being bothered by the Khan was Uncle. Uncle was chanting as he wrapped the flower's stem in Japanese seaweed. Eventually, the flower started glowing green and yellow. "Now where is the demon?" he asked.

Drago however had arrived back, dragging the dazed Ghoulwyrm. "I get the feeling that Dai Gui's not long for his visit," groaned Ghoulwyrm.

"Might as well get some collateral damage out of it," said Drago.

Ghoulwyrm said, "Have fun."

Drago walked through the melee towards Contrinus who was dodging blows. "Bye-bye birdie," said Drago before pulling back his arm and landing a solid punch on Contrinus' chest. Instead of her smashing as he expected, the only crunch he heard was his finger bones. "Garrgh...stupid spell!" yelled Drago.

Contrinus glanced down and said, "Huh, being made of living stone is useful."

Drago glared and readied a fireball. "Prepare to be gravel, birdbrain," he said. However, a large rock from the ceiling dropped down and flattened Drago.

Contrinus jumped at that. "That was lucky." she said.

"Not quite, that was me," said Draco.

Contrinus looked at Draco. "Thanks...but you have to give this up," she said, hoping to get through to them this time.

Draco said, "Well, I certainly don't like be associated with that guy," indicating Drago under the rock.

There was a crashing noise and Draconus went flying backwards into Uncle. Dai Gui had finally been disturbed and was taking full advantage of his surroundings. "I WILL CRUSH YOU ALL!" he roared before the entire cave started shaking.

"Earthquake!" shouted Jackie.

One rock feel down in front of Contrinus. "Eep," she said before another seemingly landed on her.

"CONTRINUS!" shouted Draco before picking up the rock that was on Drago and throwing it at Dai Gui.

Dai Gui easily redirected the rock where it slammed into Draconus's face. "You are better off without that creature, apprentice," said Dai Gui.

"No one takes my bushi boo from me!" shouted Draco before blasting at Dai Gui with icy breath. Dai Gui roared as the blast hit him before the two met, pushing at each other.

Meanwhile, Gary was attempting to defend Megan. "Flying Monkey, er, Topples Bear?" he called before being knocked out of the air by a Sumo Khan.

"Oh for crying out loud," said Megan, "Gary, quickly trying to fight like Hak Fu and do it your own way."

Gary shook his head, "And rick you being hurt? Not a chance."

"Oh for the love of..." muttered Megan before throwing a rock at one Sumo Khan. "Hey, ugly! I thought shadows were supposed to be weightless, you can't even ride in an elevator!" The Sumo Khan turned to look at her, its red eyes narrowing before it lumbered towards her.

"Megan, what are you doing?" yelled Gary.

Megan ignored Gary and continued taunting the Shadowkhan, "Hey, why do wear a mask? Are you uglier than the Squid Khan under there?" The Khan seemed to be furious before it grabbed Megan in one hand and got ready to punch her with its free hand.

"MEGAN!" shouted Gary before his eyes started glowing. Very quickly, he swelled up into his monster form. The Khan looked over in what, for it was surprise before Gary grabbed it, causing it to drop Megan. Gary lifted the Khan into the air, much to everyone's surprise. However, Gary could not hold the Khan for long so he threw into the others before bellowing and charging them.

The remaining Khan didn't last long. It wasn't that Gary's monster form was stronger...it was that he was angrier.

"Uh, you do know there's more where they came from," said Chip to Megan.

Megan said, "Don't ruin this."

Meanwhile, Draco and Dai Gui's rumble was making the cave shake worse and worse. "Can we please banish this guy so we don't get squashed now?" asked Kala.

Uncle nodded and began to chant, the green glow re-appearing around the flower. Fortunately, Dai Gui was so preoccupied with Draco that he didn't notice the flower until it was too late. Suddenly, a blast of magic shot from the flower and hit Dai Gui.

Dai Gui roared as the demon door opened to pull him towards it. "NO...I will not return alone!" he said, grabbing Draco's leg. Gary snarled before pulling out a large stalagmite and hurling it at Dai Gui. The stalagmite hit Dai Gui on the snout, sending him flying back into the portal. At the same time, Dai Gui's chi flowed out of him and into the portal after its owner.

The portal sealed up and the remaining Shadowkhan vanished. Draco groaned before his body returned to its original form.

Unfortunately the spell animating Contrinus also began to vanish. "Draco...I'm...growing...stiff..." said Contrinus as her body became more stone.

Draco practically wailed and ran over to her. "Contrinus..." he said desperately

"Not to worry," said Uncle, "Uncle knows how to break petrifying spell."

Jackie said, "Erm...I remember the last time you tried to cure a petrification spell."

"That was different," said Uncle, "Poison was turning you to stone. This is direct spell, Uncle can cure it."

There was a groan from where Draconus had slumped and he said in Matt's voice, "Where am I? The last thing I remember is a rock heading for me."

"Matt! You're back!" cried Kala before hugging him.

Matt grimaced. "That's nice...everything hurts," he said

"He's back alright," said Chloe.

Matt turned his head to see Contrinus and said "I thought Red was dead? What have I missed?"

"We can tell you as you write out the check for all the damages you owe the government for trashing Mammoth caves," said Chip.

"Not necessary," said Uncle, "Draco still wears the Earth armor."

Matt said, "Oh crap...not Draconus again."

"Yep, got knocked out bad by Dai Gui, so he had to take over," said Megan.

"Oh...what else did he blow up?" said Matt, gloomily

"Just bits of cave, really," said Chloe.

"Hmm...not that bad really," said Matt, thoughtfully

"But the caves," started Jackie.

"Draco wears the Earth armor, he can restore the caves," said Uncle.

Matt smirked at Draco as Draconus supplied a few memories. "Yeah...especially after what he did to me and Draconus..." he said before paling as Uncle said "One more thing..."

Matt cringed and asked, "What?"

"You helped smash caves too. You will help fix the caves too," said Uncle. Matt looked like he'd been forced to swallow Nani's cooking.

"That's right, you boys have to clean it all up," said Chloe, smiling wickedly.

Matt said in horror, "But I didn't do anything, it's bad enough I'm about to get the bill."

"No buts," said Chip, "You two better get to it. Don't worry, it's not too much to fix up. It's only the largest known cave system in the world."

Draco and Matt just looked at each other before groaning.

Meanwhile, Gary was back to his normal form again. Megan walked over to him and said, "You see? You weren't a wild beast, you only attacked our enemies. You don't need to take lessons from anyone."

Gary said, "I...I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I won't as long as you're around," said Megan, "Besides, I'm Lady NegaMorph, I can take care of myself."

Hak Fu came up at that point. "You fought well, Gary. One day you will be a fine warrior...with the right training."

Gary said, "Erm...no offence, Hak Fu but I think I'll stop the training."

"But, your lessons have barely begun," said Hak Fu.

"I think I've learned everything I need to know," said Gary, standing up straight and groaning. "Oh, my back," he moaned.

"You think you're sore, just wait till Matt and Draco are done," said Megan.

* * *

After a very long wait, here is the next chapter at last. I would have posted this a long time ago, but the day I was going to do it was ironically the same day as the Tohoku Earthquake, so it was hardly appropriate to post it on that day. But now that it's been 3 months (or 12 weeks if you want to be particular) since it occured and there are definite signs of improvement, I think it is ok to break my hiatus now. However, while things are not as bad as they were 6 fortnights ago, there are still problems in Japan and the people there still need more support. So please be sure to respect their loss and keep in mind their tragedy. Thank you.

And now for the commentry. Dai Gui's a Demon Sorcerer I'm sure you've all been waiting for anxiously, so I do not intend to disappoint. He was actually rather hard to pick a spot for him to be summoned at, since Earth is even more common than Water. However, I decided that subterranian would suit best and Mammoth Caves soon followed after. His choice of Shadowkhan wasn't too hard to pick, considering the similiar mass they share. It was a bit funny putting the most common Immortal Symbol together with one of the rarest Japanese Ingredients. The choice of apprenticeship was tough too, but then I decided since Chip got Moon, Draco gets Earth.

Gary's weregoyle curse is more extensively told in a story on my deviantART account, 'Well-Met by Twilight'. Ghoulwyrm is heavily involved in that story too and it should be worth checking out. I think that one of the most satisfying parts of this story was having Gary suffer under Hak Fu's training. Admit, you thought it was funny too.

Anyways, the next chapter's a bit trickier and it's still in progress. But my guess is that it will be done by next week. And it's a showdown that's of gigantic proportions. Keep an eye out for it and please review.


	12. Monster Proportions

**Chapter 12: Monster Proportions**

The Himalayan Mountains are truly a breathtaking sight. Being the highest mountain range in the world, they can conceal numerous secrets. But the most amazing by far is the tallest mountain of them all, Mt. Everest. Many people have dreams of climbing it. But some find them climbing it rather against their wishes.

Matt was one of these people. "Explain to me again...why are we walking instead of taking a dropship?" he said.

"Because the atmosphere's too thin up here," said Techo, "Not to mention it would stick out like a giant sore thumb."

"Oh, for smeg's sake," said Matt, annoyed. Uncle had decided that, has a half dragon, he, Chloe and Kala were carrying the brunt of the equipment.

"How come Jade doesn't have to carry anything?" said Chloe, icily.

"Her Celestial dragon chi will be more active this closer to the heavens," said Uncle, "She could gain great enlightenment up here. And an unburdened mind can better maintained when one's back is not burdened."

"Great...what's your excuse?" said Matt, cheekily

"You want Uncle's spine to snap? Besides, Uncle is holding map," said Uncle.

Matt said, "This is not in our contract. I hate my life."

Chloe said, "How much further? If I hold this pack any longer, I'm gonna pass out...dragon stamina or no dragon stamina."

"Chi-o-matic indicates that disturbance in yin/yang balance is coming from there," said Uncle, pointing at a relatively smaller mountain up ahead with a mostly-flat top.

"Hmm...first piece of flat land I've seen all day," said Matt, sarcastically.

"Why can't it ever be downhill?" moaned Kala.

Just then, Morph went sliding by on a bobsled...going uphill. "Whee!" he called.

Matt stared at this before saying in a shaking voice, "How...how did he do that...AND WHY IS HE HAVING FUN?"

Morph slid down over to Matt, spraying Matt with snow as he did so. "Cheer up," he said, "Maybe we'll meet the Abominable Snowman up here."

"Morph, how many times do we have to tell you that there are no such thing as yetis?" said Techo.

Matt however glared at Morph, "Why you LITTLE...!" before trying unsuccessfully to grab Morph and falling on his front. "I hate you so much at the moment," he said dully.

"Morph may not be wrong this time," said Jade, "I mean, we did meet a frozen prehistoric humanoid once."

"Coincidence," said Matt, in an annoyed voice as he got back up.

"Dwayne was frozen for thousands of years," said Jackie, "I don't think anything like him still exists today, particularly up here."

"Plus the yeti is mythical," said Matt, purposely ignoring Chloe's muttering of 'Like dragons?'

"Hurry up!" snapped Uncle, "The forces of darkness do not wait to gossip!"

…

Meanwhile, the forces of darkness, more specifically, Drago and Ghoulwyrm were trying to make their way up the mountain via the other side, Ghoulwyrm saying "...the forces of light do not wait to gossip!"

"Hey, I'm trying to keep myself motivated," said Drago, "Mountain climbing isn't exactly relaxing."

"Quit talking...it's all 'I'm a fire demon, not an ice demon' and 'I think I'm getting frostbite on my claws'. I'm perfectly fine," said Ghoulwyrm before fate chose that moment to have one of his frozen paws snap off. "...That didn't happen..." said Ghoulwyrm, putting it back on and ignoring Drago's smirk.

"Can't you just float up to the top?" asked Drago, "Sound like it would be easier for you."

"Normally, yes, but the cold's weakening several of my powers. I wouldn't want to be hanging over nothing if it gave out," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Yeah...that'd be a blow," muttered Drago to himself.

"Indeed, which is why I want to get summoning as soon as possible," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Fine...let's just get up there before the Chans do," said Drago in an annoyed voice.

…

On the other side of the mountain, things were not going really smooth either. "I'M GETTING FROSTBITE!" snapped Chloe.

Matt glared. "How do you think I feel? Everything is numb." he said.

Kala however, said, "I'm perfectly fine...nice and toasty," earning glares from Matt and Chloe.

Matt said evilly, "Coming from the fire dragoness..."

"You know, this looks like a good spot to yodel," said Morph before taking in a big breath.

Before he could get the first note out, Chris squeezed Morph's lips together. "No, no yodeling," he said. Morph made the motions to say 'Why?' Chris said, "Would you like 300 tons of ice in the face via avalanche?"

"Why'd we have to bring him along?" griped Chloe, "Any other experiment would have been better."

"Because Draco latched himself to the wall rather then come to the Himalayas...I don't blame him," said Matt, darkly.

"And Draco and Contrinus are a package deal, Chip wanted to do some sort of business reading, and NegaMorph wanted to spend time with Megan that didn't involve villainy," said Kala.

"Ok...if we see Ghoulwyrm...violence will ensue...I blame him for this," said Matt evilly.

"He's probably getting ready to let loose a demon now," said Jade, "But it's a good thing we're near the top, right?"

Matt's eye twitched and he started to giggle. Chloe sighed, "Wrong choice of words."

"No big deal," said Jade, "We just have to get up top and start kicking ninja butt." She climbed up the ledge and looked over. On the opposite side, Drago stuck his head over as well.

They both pointed and yelled "YOU!"

Matt peered over next and screamed some more threatening words. "DIE, DEMON BOY!" he screamed, throwing a plasma orb.

Uncle and Tohru came up next. "Ah, right on time," said Uncle, "Actually, looks early."

Matt however had thrown off his backpack, pulled out his ion blade and was running towards Drago with extended murder in mind.

"A little warm-up, eh?" said Drago, "I could use something to get the fire going."

Matt missed Drago and yelled, "I'm freezing cold...and have been forced to be a pack dragon...I AM NOT IN A GOOD MOOD!"

"Ah, has Matt got the sniffles?" teased Drago.

Matt glared before going crosseyed and sneezing a plasma ball into Drago. Drago was knocked backwards and sent tumbling a little too close to the edge. Matt wiped his nose and said, "Apparently so." Matt walked over to Drago who was balancing and said, "Mind the step," before making to prod him over the edge

Just then, a chattering/tinkling sound was heard and Ghoulwyrm came up over the edge, icicles hanging from nearly every part of him. "Why couldn't it have been a volcanic mountain?" he grumbled.

Matt looked at Ghoulwyrm before yelling "UNDEAD!" and aiming a slash, only to be blasted by Drago.

"Lynch, I am really not in the mood to fight," said Ghoulwyrm, "I'm virtually frozen through and my powers are on the blink. I just wanna summon the stupid demon and go somewhere warm."

Matt said, "No demon for you," and tried to attack again

Ghoulwyrm opened his mouth to breathe out fire, but the fireball that came out was only the size of Matt's fist.

Matt dodged it before laughing "Oh, this is rich...HEY UNCLE...YOU GOT ANYTHING TO BLAST ZOMBIE NEWT OVER HERE?"

"Uncle busy with banishing spell perparation," called Uncle, "Where are Shadowkhan?"

Matt nodded before grabbing Ghoulwyrm. "Yes...where are your little buddies?" he said.

"Hey, watch the frostbite," said Ghoulwyrm before a snapping sound was heard, "Never mind."

Matt readied a fist. "Talk or I smash you." he said, evilly.

"I don't run at full speed when it's cold, ok?" said Ghoulwyrm, "We only just got here, can't you guys wait about 10 minutes before you start attacking?"

Matt thought about this. "You know, I was gonna toss you over the edge, but I'm gonna go easy. I'm just gonna do this," he said before pulling off Ghoulwyrm's head.

Ghoulwyrm glared. "Thanks, I feel so much better," he said sarcastically

"You know, I'd make a real neat snowman out of you," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm said darkly, "I know where your dream door is..." before Matt threw his head into a snow drift and turned to try and deal with Drago. He and Jade were fighting each other across the snow.

Ghoulwyrm glared from the snow drift he was in and called out, "Lynch, don't you dare..."

Matt grinned insanely at Ghoulwyrm before shoving the snow down Drago's shirt back. "PSYCHE!" he yelled insanely.

Ghoulwyrm winced and said, "That does it, I'm gonna have to drop him in a freezing pond now." A plasma ball burnt a trench in the snowdrift Ghoulwyrm was in. He said weakly "I can wait," he said with a nervous grin.

"Uncle needs Shadowkhan banishing ingredient today!" snapped Uncle.

Matt said, "What Shadowkhan?" looking around.

"I told you, I'm a little late getting here," snapped Ghoulwyrm, "I need time to prepare and such."

Chloe looked around as she strolled over to Ghoulwyrm. "Hmm...for once we're in time. I like this feeling," she said, looking at Ghoulwyrm. "But we can't leave you or..." she said, pausing and stepping aside to let Drago slam into the snowdrift next to Ghoulwyrm, adding "...dragon boy here alone to set up your demon welcome committee."

"Hey, there's an order that needs to be followed," said Ghoulwyrm, "You know, villains plots evil plan and acts it out, hero arrives to stop them, you can't go before us."

Chloe glared. "You know how heavy this is?" she said, pointing to her backpack.

"Uh, not really, no," said Ghoulwyrm.

Chloe glared before taking it off. "Find out," she said and dropped it on Ghoulwyrm.

Ghoulwyrm's voice said from underneath, "I see...your...point."

Just then, Jackie, Techo, and Chris reached the top of the plateau. "I...will kick butt...after a short break," said Chris while panting.

Drago glared at them "I've had enough of this trip. First I get the headless wonder...then psycho puts a snowball down my back!" he yelled before throwing a fireball at Chris who ducked it. The fireball hit the snow and went deep. Suddenly, cracks started to radiate out from the hole, the ground starting to tremble where the cracks were.

Everyone turned to glare at Drago. "Gee...way to go, gecko boy," said Chloe, icily

Drago shrugged and said, "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth," before firing more fireballs into the snow near the gang.

Matt looked at where the fireballs were going. "Oh no," he said weakly. A rumbling sound started as the snow became uneven and started to shift. Pretty soon, about one half of the plateau's snow was sliding towards the edge, bringing the gang with it. "I swear you're gonna suffer for this!" yelled Matt, trying to turn dragon to take off and failing.

Ghoulwyrm reattached his head and watched as the gang was swept down in the forming avalanche. "I...can't believe that's actually working for us," he said.

Drago said, "Yeah...I'm just as surprised."

"Do you think that'll incapacitate them long or are they going to come back up in a few minutes and kick our butts?" asked Ghoulwyrm.

"Unless they happen to land on a rescue team, they're toast," said Drago, smugly.

"As much as I'd like to go down there and make doubly sure, I think we should focus on our summoning and move to warmer climates," said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago shuddered as the wind blasted them. "Yeah...let's just get aunt Po Kong loose," he said.

"Right then," said Ghoulwyrm before spreading his arms and shouting, "Shadowkhan, arise!" Several small black shapes popped out of the snow, their only discernable feature being a bluish line across their faces

Drago peered at them and picked one up. "These shrimps are gonna get my aunt out of the underworld?" he said.

The Shadowkhan made a growling sound before the blue line opened up to reveal a mouth full of pointy teeth which bit down on Drago's finger. Drago yelped and shook his hand till it let go. "Feisty little thing, isn't it?" he said

Ghoulwyrm grinned and said, "Oh, I've done my research. These little guys have a lot more in common with your aunt than you think."

Drago shivered as the wind howled again. "Let's just get this over with," he said

"Right, but just to make sure," said Ghoulwyrm before waving a hand and summoning more Shadowkhan. "You lot, go down there and see if you can find any trace of those meddlers. When you find them, you know what to do."

The Khan all ran off down the hill at that. Drago peered down, feeling, just for a second, sorry for anyone the Khan ran into for some reason.

"Ok, let's get to work," said Ghoulwyrm, "This may take some, considering the amount of mass I need to bring through."

The Khan Ghoulwyrm had sent all appeared back at that, their leader making a chittering. Ghoulwyrm, who had been getting ready said, "What do you mean they aren't there?"

…

When Matt started to regain consciousness, the first sensation he experienced was that he was warm, comfortably warm. The next thing he felt was feeling like his body was one giant bruise. "Urgh...what hit me?" he said to the world in general

"An avalanche, a smaller avalanche, fortunately for you," said an unfamiliar voice.

Matt shot upright at that and looked around. "Who's there?" he said. He immediately winced as about a dozen aches shot through his ribcage.

"You mustn't move so fast," said the voice, "You need time to rest and recover." Matt turned his head to see a short Tibetan man standing near him. Judging by his bald head and orange robe, Matt assumed he was some kind of monk.

Matt looked around. "Where am I?" he said, looking around to see if anyone else was around.

"You are in the Heaven Mountain Temple of the Ben Shua order," said the monk, "You and your companions have taken quite a bit of punishment from the snow."

Matt nodded. "Erm...no offence but I don't see you carrying Tohru here. Who brought us here?" he asked.

"It most likely was the Guardian of the Peaks," said the monk, "He is a mysterious being, but he sometimes is generous to humans. You are fortunate you were traveling with a Celestial, otherwise he may not have felt so generous."

Matt thought about this. "Is he still around? I'd like to shake his hand," he said cheerfully, before wincing and adding, "Gently."

"The Guardian never stays longer than he needs to," said the monk, "As a matter of fact; he just left you by the temple and walked off. All there is to show he was there are his footprints."

Matt said, "Really?" and went over to the window to see several large footprints. "You're kidding...we were rescued by the yeti?" he said dully

"The Guardian's known by many names, a fair few coming from the West," said the monk.

Matt got a distant look. "Morph was right..." he said in a disbelieving and slightly terrified voice

"Morph? Do you refer to the carefree one?" asked the monk.

"If by that, you mean the mutant albino slime slug, then 'carefree' is putting it mildly," said Matt. The monk nodded. Matt said, "Ok...where is Kala?"

"You mean your soul mate?" asked the monk.

Matt glared and said, "Does Morph keep anything secret?"

"Oh no, he did not tell us," said the monk, "Your chi and hers resonates together like the ebb and flow of the sea. Truly, it is a match made in heaven."

Matt looked confused before saying, "Ooookay."

The monk nodded. "She said something similar when she asked about you," he said.

Matt cleared his throat and said, "My love life aside, how is she?"

The monk said, "You are the last one to awake. She is with your companions, having a meal."

Matt thought about this. "Sounds usual, Chloe usually yells at me about being last up," he said.

"Follow me," said the monk, leading Matt out the door. He made sure to walk slower so that the weakened Matt could keep up.

Matt was led into the main room where the rest of the gang was sitting, in various levels of bruises. Chloe rolled her eyes. "Last up as usual," she muttered.

"I fell from the top of a mountain, cut me a break," said Matt.

"We all did," said Chris.

"Well... You know what, I'm not debating until I have breakfast. Or lunch or dinner or whatever meal's appropriate for whatever time of the day it is," said Matt. Chloe sighed as Matt got some of the rice the others were eating. "Apparently the yeti saved us," he said conversationally

"Don't bring that up again, Morph won't stop gloating," said Techo.

Matt peered over to where Morph was and flicked his wrist, causing Morph to faceplant into his rice bowl.

"So how long have I been out?" asked Matt.

"About a day, apparently. I'm sure Jackie's uncle almost exploded when he found out," said Kala

Matt groaned and said, "Don't tell me that the demon of the week's terrorizing the countryside now."

"Uncle says it's not loose yet...but the day is young," said Chloe.

"Not loose yet? How can it not be loose?" asked Matt.

"Apparently mass is also a factor when it comes to demon summoning," said Techo.

Matt said, "Mass? You mean the demon's fat?...oh no." he said as his mind went over to the list of remaining demons.

"The chi-o-matic confirmed it," said Chris, "As if the terrain wasn't enough of a big hint."

"I told you we shoulda brought the gunship but NOOOO..." said Matt before doing an impression of Uncle, not noticing the real version passing behind him and saying, "Magic must defeat magic."

"That is right," said Uncle, causing Matt to almost have a heart attack.

Matt managed to recover his composure. "If we'd brought the gunship, we wouldn't have been on the avalanche express," he said.

"We've been over this, it won't be able to fly properly up here," said Techo.

Matt rolled his eyes. "This is silly. What can we do vs the Godzilla of the demon universe? Why couldn't it have been the flying shrimp?" he moaned.

"Well, she won't be able to move very fast," said Jackie, "Even if the ground were level."

Matt thought about this. "Good point," he said.

"On the other hand, she probably has a lot of mountain magic stored up to use against us," said Jade. "Say, what is mountain magic anyways?" asked Kala.

Matt thought about that. "Hmm...probably involves avalanches," he said.

"Well, when Tohru had the Mountain Demon chi, he ate nearly everything," said Jackie.

"Including most of my shop!" snapped Uncle.

"Well, we know which demon it is, no problem, right?" said Morph.

Uncle said, "Is big problem...Chloe had ingredients in her pack."

Chloe gulped, "And I left that at the top of the mountain."

Uncle smacked his forehead and yelled, "AI YA! We will have to go back and get it! And we must hurry before Po Kong and her minions devour every village they can find."

"Great...more climbing," said Matt.

Kala however said, "Erm...hate to point this out...but who will Po Kong taker as a apprentice?"

"Depends, is Drago likely to get any gifts from his aunt?" asked Chloe.

Matt thought about this. "If I remember how Shendu treated him...not a chance. That leaves...oh smeg," he said.

"Uh, the ability to eat anything's the only power that the Mountain Demon chi gave, right?" asked Kala.

"I hope so," said Matt, weakly.

"Uh, Tohru also grew up to Po Kong's height," said Jade.

"We're all gonna die!" wailed Matt

"Never say die!" said Morph.

"Ok...we're going to be EATEN!" said Matt, yelling the last part at Morph who said cheerfully "See? It's so much more positive when you don't say die." Matt just screamed with fury before making Morph's head implode into his body. The rest of the room watched as Matt jumped up and down on Morph until he had calmed down. "Ah...much better," he said, "Well...let go get that pack."

"My friend, you could stand to gain much from learning how to achieve inner peace," said one monk.

"We could help you to learn how to calm your inner anger," said another.

"I like my inner rage. It allows me to let off stress," said Matt before adding, "Anyway, this is hardly the worst thing that ever happened to him. Once I put him in a washing machine."

The monks muttered to themselves, obviously disturbed about Matt's violent tendencies.

Chloe walked over and said, "Don't worry...if you knew what his life was like, you'd realise this was a good day."

Soon after that, the gang had bundled up again and was heading out the door. The monks were waving them fairwell. However, when the gang was out of earshot, one of them said to the other, "The Western dragons are such a violent race."

"Yes, it's a small wonder they became extinct," said another.

Another of the monks said, "Did you see the young one's appearence? Do you think she knows what it means?"

"Yes, it would explain a great deal," said another, "But it is not our order who must deal with it. We must send word to our brothers in China immediately."

…

Meanwhile, back up the mountain,

As the gang trudged upwards, they noticed a change in the area. Not so much a physical change, but the feeling of the landscape had changed. For some reason, the mountains seemed...hungry.

Matt looked around. "Ok...I'm starting to feel like I'm being watched," he said in a worried voice.

"What, you think the yeti will want a tip?" said Chloe.

"No...I think that he might be hungry instead," said Matt, looking around.

"I think the air pressure is getting to you," said Chloe.

Matt said, "I am not a paranoid nutca...DEMON!" screaming and throwing a plasma orb at a shadow where he thought he saw movement. A snow bunny ran from the spot, squealing for its life.

"Ooh, such a clever disguise," said Chris mockingly, "I would have never guessed it for a yeti or a demon in that form."

Matt glared before saying, "Oh look...a demon on your head," igniting another plasma orb.

"Can you quarrel without attracting attention from anything on the mountain?" snapped Uncle.

"This is mercenary business," said Matt before grabbing Chris in a headlock and trying to dig a hole in a wall of stone with Chris's head...made difficult when Chris went feral and tried to bite Matt's arm off.

"Hey guys!" called Morph from a distance, "Check out this mondo-sized abominable snowman footprint I found!"

Matt yelled, "We already know that the yeti exists so get over it!"

"But it's a really big footprint!" called Morph.

"Morph, you don't need to keep saying it," said Jackie as he walked forward, "We don't see another foo-" Suddenly, he stumbled and fell down, a lot further than the others were expecting.

"Oh, you found another one," said Morph.

Matt and Chris stopped fighting at that and walked over with the others to the new footprint. "Ooook...that's big," said Chloe, weakly. The footprint Jackie had fallen was rather big, about 8 feet long with three toes.

Matt said in an equally weak voice, "Now we know where Godzilla goes skiing," before giggling aimlessly.

"Po Kong must be moving down towards where people live," said Tohru.

"I'd hate to be in that village," said Kala.

"No, she would head for the nearest city, some place large enough to quench her appetite." The others looked at him oddly. "Er, I mean, that's what I would do if I were her," said Tohru.

"In that case, she'll be heading down to Lhasa," said Jackie as he got back up, "There are at least a million people there."

"Plenty for Po Kong and her Shadowkhan to eat," said Jade.

"Until her next bowel movement," said Chloe.

"How big is Po Kong that 1 million people counts as one meal?" said Matt, in a worried voice.

"Uh, considering the size of her gut, I'd say that she'd have the city depopulized in... maybe a week tops," said Jade.

"Hmm...we can cut her off. Someone that big probably isn't speedy," said Matt.

"But we won't be able to banish her without the chi spell ingredients," said Uncle, "So we much get the pack first."

"Crap...where did we leave the damn thing again?" said Matt.

"Ooh, I know," said Morph before turning into Finder and taking to the air.

Matt watched as Morph-Finder flew off. "Now why didn't I think of that?"

Chloe said, "Cause you're an idiot who likes to blow things up."

"What was that?" asked Jade.

"Another experiment," said Kala, "Designed to be an expert tracker."

"You mean the guy I saw at the beach first day I was in Kauai?" said Matt.

"Yeah, he works in the lost and found," said Kala.

But while no one was noticing, a shadow was sneaking between the rocks behind them. The shadow went along before making the shape of a mouth and nibbling a bit of Matt's shadow before making a 'bleah' noise and heading for Chris instead.

Matt scratched himself and said, "It's too cold up here for mosquitos, right?"

Chris said, "Mosquitoes in the mountains? That's a first."

"Do not be talking so foolish," said Uncle.

"Something bit...my shadow...look," said Matt, pointing to a little bite section missing from his shadow. The others looked at his shadow, but the tiny section that had bitten and spat out had already rejoined it.

"Yep, the thin air is affecting your brain," said Chloe.

"But...but..." said Matt, in an upset voice.

"Did you say that something bit your shadow?" asked Uncle.

"Yes...something bit it...I saw a bite section missing," said Matt, gloomily.

"Dream on," said Chris before motion in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He turned to see several thumb-sized black bumps looking at him. "Aw, who are these cute little guys?" he asked.

Everyone else turned to look. Uncle was first to react "AI YA...SHADOWKHAN!" he said, pointing.

"Oh, those little guys?" asked Techo, "What could they possibly do?"

The bumps all turned to look, revealing a blue 'v' shape on each one before all opening fang-filled mouthes. "Ooh, what are they gonna do, bite my toe off?" asked Chris.

The Khan immediately leapt forward...at Chris's shadow before apparently sucking it up. "SEE...SHADOW EATERS!" yelled Matt before throwing a plasma orb at them

"Whoa, I feel...dizzy..." said Chris before falling over.

Matt looked at Chris before at the Khan which had increased in size. "Right...GET EM!" he yelled before blasting one.

The Shadowkhan swarmed forward, each going for a shadow. The Khan however showed no interest in the dragons of the group, any Khan going for them turning to join a companion with the others.

"Keep them away from your shadows!" shouted Uncle before blasting at them.

Matt stamped on one while Kala flamethrowered another two. "Bloody little pixies!" yelled Matt. Suddenly, there was a small chomping sound and Matt grabbed his foot. "IT'S TRYING TO EAT MY TOES!" he yelled as he hopped around on one leg.

Chloe whacked it aside before going anthro dragon and electrocuting another few. Tohru was having the most trouble, seeing how he cast such a large shadow. The Khan however managed to chomp most of the shadows, getting larger with the more they ate.

Just then, Morph-Finder flew back, holding the backpack. "I'm back," he said as he landed in his original form, "And the cold's kept all the ingredients fresh too." He noted Chris asleep and said, "Is it naptime already?" The Khan all turned to see Morph and tried to eat his shadow before looking disgusted and spitting it out. "Tee hee, that tickles," said Morph.

Matt yelled, "MORPH...AS YOUR CAPTAIN, I ORDER YOU TO ATTACK THOSE THINGS!"

"But they're so cute and cuddly and I just wanna smother them with love and milk and cookies," said Morph, picking up several and hugging them. The Khan actually looked terrified at that, trying to get out his grip with yelping noises...with good reason as Matt lost his temper and fired a blst of plasma fire at them. Morph was left sitting in a small crater. "Ooh, nice and toasty," said Morph.

Matt glared as the other Khan ran, having done their job of disabling all of Matt's team, except for Kala and Morph and the Chans.

Morph looked at the battlefield and said, "Boy, I'm glad I don't have to clean this up."

Chloe was shaking Chris. "Wake up...wake up, you idiot," she said before looking at Uncle, "What did those little landsharks do to him?"

"They have eaten his shadow and with it, an important part of his chi," said Uncle, "Without it, he will remain in this wakeless slumber."

Matt said, "One test..." before poking Chloe in the neck as she was holding Chris, causing her to electrocute Cjris on reflex. "I learnt a few things in my year on Avalar," he said before looking worried as the usually effective alarm clock failed to work.

"Ooh, ooh, let me try," said Morph before grabbed Techo by the collar and slapping his face multiple times.

Matt managed to pull Morph away after a minute. "This isn't solving anything. Most of my team's out like a light...and any more marines will get the same treatment," he said.

"And Po Kong's got a whole army of those things heading for the city," said Kala.

"The Shadow Eaters will render the people helpless and let Po Kong pick them off with ease," said Jackie.

"Oh, great. No pressure," said Matt, sarcastically.

"Wait, why didn't they munch you guys' shadows?" asked Jade.

Chloe said, "Probably the same reason they didn't eat yours," pointing to Jade's intact shadow.

"I'm ok too," said Morph.

"More to my disappointment," muttered Matt.

Uncle said thoughtfully, "Shadowkhan must prefer human shadows over inhuman ones."

Matt said, "Good...first time nobody wanted to eat me."

"But Chris is a werewolf," said Chloe.

"His human side is more dominant," said Uncle, "Or maybe it's because it's also a mammal."

Matt said, "Great...that doesn't solve the 'how do we stop Lhasa getting their very own Godzilla?' problem."

"Of all the days for the experiments to not come along," said Kala.

"Hey, how about we fight giant with giant?" suggested Morph.

Matt said, "No...no giants. I know you wanna be the giant, Morph. Not after last time."

"Well, we have the other guys," said Morph.

Matt stopped as he suddenly realised and he said, "No...not a chance...I'm not having that bunch running around."

"Matt, who are you talking about?" asked Jackie.

"Yeah, who are you talking about?" asked Kala.

"What? You don't know?" asked Jackie.

"She wasn't there when we met them," said Matt in a sour tone.

Chloe also caught on. "I agree...the last thing we need are those walking wrecking balls around here," she said.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Jade.

"No one you'd want to meet," said Chloe.

"Right, we're just gonna head down the mountain and see if we can catch up with Ms. Heavyweight." Matt peered over the sheer cliff edge of the mountain ledge they were on. "I think I see her," he said, pointing down.

The others gathered to look. There was a lot of mist down there, but they could see something large and green moving down the mountainside.

"Biiig…" said Matt in a distant voice.

"You sure I shouldn't make the call?" asked Morph.

"No, we can handle this," said Matt, "We have the pack, we can banish them. What immortal item and Japanese ingredient do we need?"

"Fortunately, is very simple," said Uncle, "A drum and Japanese fish."

Tohru moaned and said, "I hate fish."

Matt stopped before looking around before saying, "Ok...so where will we get the fish? We're in the DAMN MOUNTAINS!" visibly snapping.

Uncle waved his blowfish in Matt's face and said, "Where you think Uncle got this? Moose World?"

Matt glared. "Move the fish..." he said in a low voice.

Chloe however stepped in and said, "Look...save it for the fatso demon."

…

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm and Drago were following behind Po Kong, who was rather easy to keep up with.

"I'm telling you, I should be the one to get chi abilities," said Ghoulwyrm

"Like you'd get any good use out of them," said Drago, "I'm the one with experience."

"Please...even your own father wouldn't give you chi powers," said Ghoulwyrm, smirking

"Oh, as if you were a better choice," said Drago.

"I sometimes win," said Ghoulwyrm smugly

"I had the whole world in my palm," said Drago.

"Right, just before you got kicked off of it," said Ghoulwyrm.

Po Kong stopped at that and said, "Are you talking about dinner?"

Ghoulwyrm and Drago glanced at each other. "Nothing even close to that," said Drago.

Ghoulwyrm said smoothly, "We were just discussing who would have the honor of being your apprentice."

"Oh, is that all?" said Po Kong with great disinterest.

Ghoulwyrm and Drago watched as Po Kong turned away. "Wow...that is one laid back demon sorcerer," said Ghoulwyrm

"I think she's more interested in eating than conquest," said Drago.

"Huh, so much for an apprentice, she'd probably eat them," said Ghoulwyrm scathingly.

Po Kong growled with annoyance and said, "If you two must make such a fuss over who's to be my apprentice, than let's make a contest out of it. Whoever brings me the tastiest thing to eat wins."

Ghoulwyrm grinned evilly at Drago before using a little-used food spell held memorized once from boredom. "I knew this would be useful one day," he said as Drago muttered about cheating.

Ghoulwyrm lifted the dish high and said, "A tasty delicacy from your soon-to-be apprentice."

Po Kong peered at the dish of food before picking it up and swallowing it, dish, food and all in one mouthful. "It will pass," said Po Kong before peering down at Drago, "And your offering?"

Drago glared at Ghoulwyrm but was unable to answer.

Ghoulwyrm smirked and said, "He is obviously not suitable."

"That settles it," said Po Kong, pointing at Ghoulwyrm, "You are my new apprentice."

Ghoulwyrm punched the air. "Yes, finally, wait a minute…" he said as he realized what physical effect demon chi had.

Drago walked away. "I'm gonna give you some space," he said, "You're gonna need it."

Ghoulwyrm said gloomily, "This is exactly how my afterlife is: even when I win, I lose."

"Quit griping and stand still," said Po Kong as dark energy started coming out of her hand.

Ghoulwyrm gulped and whimpered, "Mummy," before the blast hit.

…

Meanwhile, the journey back down the mountain was not as easy for the gang seeing as how they had to carry Chris and Techo.

"This is nuts...the sooner this is fixed, the better," said Matt, using his dragon form to carry Chris.

"I heard about this kind of thing in a documentary," said Kala, "We have three days to wake them up before they die of dehydration."

"Let's just crush fatso and go home," said Chloe in an annoyed voice.

"Will you guys keep it down? I'm trying to listen," said Jade who was fiddling with a radio.

Matt dropped Chris on the ground and said, "What are you listening for?" peering over her shoulder at the radio.

"Duh, any news that could relate to Po Kong and her Shadowkhan," said Jade.

Matt said, "You can speak Tibetan?"

"Uh, no," said Jade.

"Neither do I," said Matt.

"Let me," said Morph, grabbing the radio and holding it up to his ear, or rather the side of his head where his ear should be.

Matt and Jade watched patiently before Matt finally said "Well?"

Morph was quiet before saying, "Uh, there's an advertisement for yak yogurt." Matt just stared before gently putting his front paw on Morph before pressing down. Morph said in a muffled voice, "I sense you aren't happy at the moment."

"Morph, tell me something useful, or I will make a popsicle out of you," said Matt.

Morph said, "Erm...your claws need a trim? I have a really good...ok, not that," as Matt began to growl like a chainsaw.

Suddenly, Morph shouted, "Wait! A news flash! Many people in Lhasa are falling into comas. Authorities are suspecting some kind of plague. A large area of the city has been quarantined."

Matt lifted his paw up and peeled Morph off before noticing the flattened radio. "How are you picking that up?" he said.

Morph said, "I swallowed most of the radio when you crunched me."

"It must be the Shadowkhan," said Jackie, "That must mean that Po Kong is getting closer to the city."

Matt sighed, "We'll never get there on time at this rate," before noticing Morph, "I never thought I said this, but we may need to use...Morph's plan," he said.

"Matt, you know what that would mean, right?" asked Chloe.

"Yes, I know, but something needs to slow them down," said Matt before Jackie said "It's probably the best thing" before being confused by Matt's next statement, "I just hope we have enough oil aboard."

Morph said, "Ok, I'll make the call now, and arrange for a pickup."

"Remind them that collateral damage is not on the books till Sue's on the ship again," said Matt.

"Got it," said Morph.

Jackie said, "Ok...what is Morph's plan?"

Matt sighed and said, "You met Dune Runner...right?"

"You mean your dune buggy?" asked Jackie.

"Yes, these are more of them," said Matt.

"More dune buggies?" asked Jade.

"Actually, construction vehicles," said Matt

"Why would you guys have construction vehicles?" asked Jade.

"They're more...associates..." said Matt.

The Chans still looked confused, but Kala was starting to understand. "You don't mean..." she started.

"We'll introduce you to them later," said Chloe.

"Let's just hope it's enough," said Matt.

…

As the gang reached the city limits, Matt had been busy conversing with someone on his communicator. However, the Chans couldn't quite understand what exactly Matt was talking about from his end.

"No, you just stop the big green thing from getting into the city. No, you do not have salvage rights on any oil you find," said Matt.

There was a pause before Matt, "I could so find better qualified people to do this. They're just unavailable today. What's that? Well, I suppose there would be a lot of repairing to be done afterwards. How much are you charging? That much? This is Tiber, not China. Yes, there is a difference. That's just plain robbery."

Matt turned to look at Jackie and Jade before saying, "Ok, you can use abandoned buildings as weapons, but only after you check that they are empty."

"What's Matt doing?" asked Jackie.

"Haggling," said Chloe.

Jade said, "Who are you haggling with?"

Matt said, "You don't want to know...you'll find out."

…

Meanwhile, the gang had followed Po Kong's trail to the outskirts of Lhasa. People were slumped on walls are lying in the street where Shadowhan had ambushed them, a mix of police and civilians. "Ok...least we know we're close," said Matt, blasting a Khan.

"So how do we take Po Kong down without us being sent to dream land?" asked Chloe as she blasted another.

"By not casting a shadow," said Uncle.

"Oh, that'll be easy, I'll just ask for an eclipse," said Matt

"Given the size of Po Kong, that shouldn't be too hard to ask for," said Kala.

"We just need to find chubbo then," said Matt before noticing a ripple in a puddle. "When will I learn to keep my mouth shut?" said Matt before a series of thuds was heard. The group turned as a shadow appeared on a far building. "Uh oh...biiig trouble," said Matt, shifting down to anthro form

However, as everyone got into a battle stance, they were thrown off by what came around the corner. For a second, Matt thought it was a mutant brachiosaurus. The being was very large and wearing bulky armor. The bandages on its now-shorter arms were straining to keep the purplish flesh in. His neck was now shorter and was a lot thicker. However, the head remained largely the same.

"Oh lord," said Matt in a tired voice, covering his eyes, "It's Ghoulmoron."

"Wow, he really let himself go," said Chloe.

"Dinko de fabba," said Morph, jiggling his belly for emphasis.

Ghoulwyrm turned slowly to look at them. "Fresh food," he said in a deep voice, his eyes glowing red.

"Uh, why is he looking at us like a platter of chicken nuggets?" asked Matt.

"Because I think he's hungry," said Chloe.

"But he's a blooddrinker, right?" asked Matt.

Ghoulwyrm opened his mouth to lick his lips. "I think he's expanding his tastes," said Chloe in a small voice.

"Right, well, we've all seen enough giant monster movies to know what we should do now," said Matt.

Chloe said, "Matt...this isn't going to..." before Matt sent a hail of plasma bolts at Ghoulwyrm. However, the bolts just bounced off his armor and his hide. Ghoulwyrm just growled before lumbering towards them.

"Uh oh," said Matt in a small voice

"I now present option B," said Kala.

"What's that?" asked Morph.

"RUN!" yelled Kala before running the opposite way.

"I coulda thought of that," said Morph.

Chloe grabbed Techo and Chrus in her dragon form while Matt grabbed Morph as Demonic Ghoulwyrm roared and gave slow chase. The gang ran for a bit before they realized Ghoulwyrm wasn't keeping up with them so easily. Apparently, he lost his power to levitate and was force to walk towards them and not at a very fast speed.

Matt and co stopped after a few yards. "Somehow...he's not as threatening as he seems," said Matt.

"Don't let his slowness fool you," said Uncle, "He is still very deadly."

Matt said, "Please, he's moving marginally faster then a rock. What can he..." Just then, a bandage snaked out from Ghoulwyrm's arm and ensnared Matt. Matt said, "Of course...I've been wrong before," before Ghoulwyrm flailed him around into the various building fronts.

The gang winced as Matt was used like a wrecking ball. "Uh, maybe we should get out of range before he tries to tenderize us," said Jade. Jackie nodded as Matt was thrown over their heads to land in a dumpster. The gang quickly ran towards the dumpster while Ghoulwyrm roared and tried to follow them as fast as he could.

Matt was pulling free and said, "Ok...he's a tad more dangerous...and...he's eating the street?"

Ghoulwyrm was ripping out large chunks of the pavement and crunching them in his mouth. "Huh, he must by hungrier than he looks," said Chloe.

"And he looked really hungry to begin with," said Jade.

Ghoulwyrm, his cheeks bulging, turned to look at them before spitting a hail of lethal gravel in thir direction. "Take cover!" shouted Jackie as everyone threw themselves out of the way. A good thing too as a large amount of a building was pulverized by the stone projectiles.

"Ok...so he's now a walking machinegun," said Matt, sarcastically, throwing a plasma blast round the corner blindly. The plasma burst apparently had hit because the next thing that landed was a large rock covered in purple flames.

"This is starting to suck," said Matt before looking round the corner to see Ghoulwyrm was in front of a condemned apartment building. "Don't be angry," he said before firing a cluster of rounds into the building, sending it toppling onto Ghoulwyrm.

The large dragon roared with surprise as several tons of concrete, wood, plaster, and metal collapsed onto him. "I don't think that's gonna hold him long," said Kala.

"Long enough for us to be somewhere else when he does get out," said Chloe.

"Right, like the other side of the city," said Matt.

Uncle snorted. "Nonscence...Uncle can deal with overgrown necromancer," he said, pulling out his dried lizard.

"Normally, I'd be saying 'have at him'. But I think he's way outside your weight class now," said Matt. Uncle turned to glare only for Kala and Matt to grab him under his arms and run for it.

"Uh, I think we have another problem," said Jackie as several fattened Shadowkhan rose up ahead.

The group stopped as more rose up around them.

To make matters worse, Ghoulwyrm had managed to get his head loose. "Ok...that hurt," he said in a deeper than usual voice.

Jade gulped and said, "We're in trouble."

"Never give up," said Morph before jumping at a Shadowkhan, only to be swallowed by it. The others looked nervous until Morph's voice was heard from the Khan, "It's really dark in here."

Matt yelled, "Morph...you remember how I threatened to put you in the food mixer if you ever used your combat experiment forms? That rule is temporarily recinded."

"Oh boy, oh boy," said Morph's voice excitedly. Suddenly, the Shadowkhan that swallowed him started glowing red from the inside before being blown apart, showing Morph in Heat's form.

All Matt's crewmates that were awake turned to glare. "Ok...maybe I made a screw up here," said Matt before the Khan's...well, explosion took out it and the two standing next to it. However, several more Khans were appearing from the shadows, gnashing their teeth.

Ghoulwyrm said, "Looks like I win...for once. I think I'll eat the celestial first." Ghoulwyrm reached for Jade, only to have his palm burned by a white fireball. Ghoulwyrm glared, sucking his hand before saying, "I'm not that hungry. Khans? Rip em apart."

The Shadowkhan growled before suddenly the sound of a horn honking 'La Cucaracha' was heard. The Shadowkhan turned around only to be blinded by headlights and then ran over. The gang managed to scatter though and Matt turned to see what it was. "Dune? Is that you?"

The red dune buggy skidded to a halt, flattening more Shadowkhan as it did so. "Reportin' for duty, mon," it said.

"Good, time to leave," said Matt, tossing Uncle into the passenger seat where the safety belt grabbed him.

"Uh, I don't think we're all gonna fit," said Chloe, eying Tohru.

Matt dodged another Shadowkhan lunge and said, "Can we please just deal with Ghoulwyrm?"

"Stand aside," said Dune Runner as several panels on his railing flipped out, revealing blasters.

Ghoulwyrm pulled himself out of the last of the rubble and said, "Oh please, you think your peashooter can harm me now?"

"Don't need ta harm ya, just need ta clear a path," said Dune Runner before firing into a building wall.

Ghoulwyrm looked as the building creaked. "Oh, not again," he said before it fell on him with a crash.

"Quick before he gets back up," said Dune Runner.

Matt turned dragon form and grabbed Tohru, Chloe eventually taking pity and helping.

Dune Runner drove after them with the rest of the gang. "Dis is porbably gonna be a bumpy ride," said Dune Runner.

After a few minutes, the group stopped. "Ok...so Ghoulwyrm's supercharged to the point that I cannot blow him up anymore," said Matt

Kala patted Matt's back and said, "You can blow him away once we shrink him back down to size."

"I look forward to that," said Matt, happily.

Chloe said, "Ok, simple to do, we take out his new boss and problem solved."

"Uh, seeing how big Ghoulwyrm has gotten, I don't think beating his boss is gonna be any easier," said Dune Runner.

Uncle said, "ENOUGH...WHY IS BEACH CAR TALKING?"

"Uh, that's a bit of a long story," said Matt.

Uncle said, "Uncle wants to know why beach buggy is prosessed."

"I am not possessed," said Dune Runner, "I'm a robot."

Uncle glared, "Uncle knows spirit when Uncle hears one, like fax machine at shop."

Chloe put her face in her palm. "Smegging technophobe," she grumbled.

"Take it from us, he's a damn robot," said Matt in an annoyed voice.

"I can speak for meself you know," said Dune Runner suddenly the seats under the gang lifted up, forming into arms that put on the ground. Then the rest of Dune Runner transformed into robot mode and stood up.

Uncle stared and Matt and Jade both started a mental count before Uncle yelled, "DEMON!"

"3 seconds," said Matt.

Dune Runner turned around and asked, "Demon? Where?"

"Not a demon...ROBOT!" yelled Matt

"Uncle, since when have demons ever been made out of metal?" asked Jade, tapping her knuckles against Dune Runner's leg to prove a point.

Uncle glared suspeciously before saying, "Uncle has his eyes on you."

Chloe rolled her eyes and said, "Ok, superstitious technophobia aside, can we get down to business?"

Matt nodded. "Yeah, we have to find a way to deal with jumbo Ghoulwyrm and his giant boss," he said.

"Not to mention how to avoid getting sent to Sleepyland by their Mini Khan horde," said Kala.

Dune Runner winced and said, "Would ya mind not callin' them 'Mini Khan'?"

"Why's that?" asked Kala.

"I don't know," said Dune Runner, "It just sounds too close to home for some reason."

"Ok...just beware the giant shadow eating monsters of doom...how's that?" said Matt.

"I t'ink 'Leech Khan' will suffice," said Dune Runner.

"Whatever, they need squashing, how did you beat them last time?" said Matt

"We had to unmask Hak Fu," said Jackie, "The shadows they have eaten can only be returned if their master is no longer able to control them and they'll be banished back to where they came from."

"So...we have to beat this mountain demon at half strength...with a mountain moron helping him," said Chloe

"We have the drum and the...fish..." said Tohru, shuddering with the last word.

"Yes we do, but that might not be enough," said Uncle, "If Po Kong has not been tired sufficiently, she may resist the banishing spell."

"Let me guess, you want us to fight her till she's nice and tired," said Matt in a gloomy voice.

"Fortunately, you're not alone with this one," said Dune Runner.

"Thanks, but even you're not big enough," said Jackie.

"Ah, but I have bigger friends," said Dune.

"He does, I was speaking to them earlier," said Matt.

"Where are they, anyways?" asked Jade.

"I was comin' ta meet with ya guys so I could ya to dem, but de big wyrm kinda distracted me," said Dune.

"Ok, lead the way," said Chloe.

...

About 20 minutes later, Dune Runner had driven the gang to a construction site. The workers had either fled when the Shadowkhan attacked or had been left sleeping.

Jackie looked ariund and said "Where are they?" before looking at an excavator.

Dune Runner rolled forward a bit before calling out, "Hey, barkeep, a couple of barrels of oil around for me and me friends!"

The others were looking at Dune Runner with confusion when a voice with a clearly Brooklyn accent called, "What kinda oil ya want?"

"Smooth, warm, and freshly processed from de crude stuff!" called Dune Runner.

Jackie looked confused before the excavatir he was looking at suddenly started up and started changing, along with the other construction vehicles.

The group jumped back as they were suddenly surrounded by large robot, each at least 30 feet tall. Except for the sixth one, which had been a forklift and was stomping over to them. "Seriously? Ya had to give us a passcode?" he snapped, "We're construction workers, not secret agents."

Matt said, "Oh shut up before I sing. I'm the one in charge of your...payment."

Of the Chan clan, only Jade was the least shocked about the construction robots. "Wow, cool," she said.

Uncle however wasn't in the mood, yelling "MORE METAL DEMONS!" and firing a blast from his dried lizard at the steamroller bot's knee.

"OW!" cried the robot before clutching his knee and hopping on the other foot. Of course, given his great mass, it shook almost everyone else off their feet.

"Uncle, stop shooting the help!" said Matt, bouncing off the ground in rythm with the steamroller bot's hops

"Hey, knock it off already," said the forklift bot, smacking the steamroller's side.

The steamroller stopped hopping, but he grumbled, "Crazy old coot."

Uncle glared as he heard that. "What did robot demon say? Does he want a piece of Uncle?"

"Right, quick introduction time," said Matt, "These are the Chans; Jackie, Jade, and their Uncle, and also their friend, Tohru. Chans and Tohru, these are the Constructicons."

"Scrapper, excavations," said the excavator bot.

"Mixmaster, materials fabrication," said the cement truck/bulldozer bot.

"Long Haul, materials transport," said the dump truck/payloader bot.

"Hightower, surgical engineer," said the cherrypicker bot.

"Rollout, enforcer," said the steamroller bot.

"And I'm da boss, Dirt Boss," said the forklift bot.

"No, you're just the foreman," said Matt, "I'm the boss here."

"Uncle does not like these shapeshifting creatures," said Uncle.

"Enough with the science vs. magic," said Chloe, "We've got a pair of mountain-sized demons and their shadow-eating army to stop, remember?"

The Constructicons looked at her before saying, "Nobody mentioned fighting monsters. We're not going to..." before Matt said "The oil's quad star quality."

There was a bit of consideration before Scrapper said, "Say, uh, won't be in danger of getting our shadows eaten or something?"

"You're giant robots. If they try it, step on them," said Matt, finally losing his temper.

"What do these things look like again?" asked Mixmaster.

Matt said, "Well..." before going wide eyed and pointing to where several of the fully powered Khan came into view. "LIKE THAT!" he yelled

The Constructicons looked at the Shadowkhan. "Man, and I thought that Spittor guy looked ugly," said Hightower.

"JUST CRUSH THEM!" yelled Matt, throwing a plasma orb at one. Mixmaster shrugged before shooting blobs of cement at them.

Chloe ducked down to say, "I wonder where Drago is..."

Just then, a kick to her back sent her flying forward. When she looked back, she saw Draco standing there. "You guys got out of the mountains after all. Not bad for tenderfoots," said Drago before spitting fire at her feet.

Chloe rolled to the side. "Are you bit annoyed that you didn't get the job again?" she taunted.

"I wasn't really too attached to the Mountain Demon chi," said Drago, "All it mostly does is just make you big and hungry. Anyways, it's at least funny to see Ghoulwyrm so overweight."

Chloe was about to disagree to annoy Drago when she realised thsat for once, he was right. It was quite funny. However she wasn't about to let him know that so she sent a few lightning bolts his way.

Drago leapt out of the way and said, "You know, I'd really try to cremate you guys, but I think Aunt Po and her new apprentice are looking for a particularly taste treat. So I'll just roast nice and juicy."

Chloe shrugged before blasting a water tank next to Drago before sending a bolt into the newly formed puddle.

Draco was knocked over by the electrocution, but he was far from down. He was about to get back up when Rollout picked him up by the tail. "What the slag is this guy?" he asked, "Some distant relative of yours or something?"

Chloe said, "He's a jerk standing between you and your oil."

"What? This shrimp?" asked Rollout.

Drago glared and yelled, "Put me down, you hunk of second rate iron!" before sending a fireball into Rollout's hand.

Rollout cried out in pain before glaring at Drago. "Tha'st it, you are so out of here," said Rollout. He drew his arm back, like he was pitching a baseball, and hurled Drago up and over sereral buildings.

"Nice shot," said Matt, turning away from a Khan for a second. However, said Shadowkhan had grown to a large enough size that it chomped on Matt, leaving his legs sticking out of its mouth. The Khan just had what could only be called a 'lets see you get me now' smug expression. However, the Khan's grin soon vanished when a large hole was blasted out of its back. Matt fell out said hole and said, "It...was horrible in there."

"What did it smell like?" asked Dune Runner before blasting another Khan.

"Smartcan," said Matt in an annoyed voice before finishing off the Khan he'd escaped from.

Long Haul was trying to get a bunch of them when one suddenly materialized and knocked him onto his back. Long Haul said, "Ok...this is not funny," as he tried to get back up again. The Shadowkhan opened the mouths wide and chomped down on Long Haul's shadow. However, something seemed wrong as they couldn't appear to get a proper grip on his shadow.

Long Haul finally managed to get up and kicked one of the Khan into the distance, Matt noting it made a worryingly spiderbot-like 'wheee' as it vanished. "Hey guys!" called Long Haul, "They can't eat our shadows!"

"Which means they can't harm us," said Scrapper before activating his hand drills.

The Khan seemed to get the same conclusion and began to back off from the Cybertronians to go for the others instead.

"Oh no, you don't," said Hightower before grabbing two with his cherrypicker arms and throw them into another bunch.

Uncle was simply standing calmly, blasting Khan as they went for him. Matt watched with Chloe before muttering, "Show off," his sister nodding.

However, a bunch of the smaller ones had gotten all over Tohru. "Ah! Ah! Get them off!" he yelled.

Matt turned and said, "Chloe, do the honors."

Chloe cracked her knuckles and readied a fist covered with arc lightning. "Ok...stay still," she said before sending a spider web of lightning bolts out to hit the Khan. The Leech Khan squealed before jumping off of Tohru. However, Tohru looked rather dizzy. This wasn't too surprising when you saw that his shadow looked Swiss cheese.

Chloe and Matt winced at that as the Shadowkhan fled from the Constructicons with yelping noises. "That's gotta hurt," said Matt

"Now that was fun," said Hightower as he dusted off his hands.

"Almost as good as bowling night," said Rollout.

"Wait...what do you bowl with?" said Matt, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Ah, a couple of girders, some planks, Mix makes the balls," said Scrapper.

Chloe said, "Look, this doesn't help. We have two jumbo demons to find. It's not like they're just gonna come to us," before she saw some ripples in a puddle.

Matt turned and gave Rollout an annoyed look. "Knock it off, will ya?" he said.

"Knock what off?" asked Rollout before a distand thud was heard.

The group slowly turned before several Chinese tanks rumbled into view.

"Oh good, the army's here," said Jackie.

"Yeah, and who do you think they're liable to shoot at?" said Chloe.

A trooper stopped as the tanks went by. "You...civilans must clear this...area..." he said, s-lowly trailing off as he saw the Constructicons and Jade. Luckily none of his companions were paying attentuon so didn't notice as Kala, Matt, and Chloe dogpiled the trooper before he could scream for help.

"We'll explain later," said Matt, gagging the glaring trooper.

"Guys, vehicle mode," said Dune Runner. He and the Constructicons quickly transformed to vehicle mode. Jade then climbed into Long Haul's cab.

Matt looked at the trooper. "You're not gonna hold this against us, are you?" he said, before taking the gag out as he heard mumbling. The trooper started yelling in Chinese in a very angry way. Matt looked at Chloe and asked, "Does that sound rude to you?"

Chloe nodded before grabbing the trooper, shoving the gag back in and throwing him into one of the construction sites portapotties, locking the door. "He'll be fine...I think," she said before getting into the cab of one of the Constructicons with Matt.

"Matt looked as the last tank vanihed before saying, "Follow those tanks, they can probably lead us to Ghoulwyrm and his new boss."

"Right," said Chloe before looking at the controls. "Uh...can you drive a cement truck?" she asked.

Matt knocked on the dashboard before yelling, "First one there gets 2 extra barrels of oil."

Almost immediately, the sound of squealing rubber was heard as the six construction vehicles started racing after the tanks. However, Dirt Boss wasn't quite able to go as fast as the others. "Hey! Wait for me, ya morons!" shouted the forklift.

Matt put his feet up on the dashboard and said smugly, "Who says I don't know how to inspire?" before the sound of tank fire up ahead was heard. Matt got his comm out and said, "Dune...put Uncle on," before saying, "Erm...any chance those T-99's will have done the job for us by thee time we get there?"

"Modern weapons cannot harm demons," said Uncle, "They may as well be firing popcorn."

On cue, one of the T-99's, its cannon bent almost to a right angle flew across the intersection ahead, several troopers running after and past it, some stopping to pull the dazed tank crew free. "I believe you," said Matt, worriedly.

"So, uh, what are we supposed to do against this thing?" asked Mixmaster.

"Uncle says the demon needs softening up. You're it," said Matt, before adding, "No negotiations."

"I don't think we got an accurate size description," said Mixmaster.

"No choice in the matter. Do it or you'll face something much worse...me and the spiderbots," said Matt.

"Ok, ok," said Mixmaster, "But you ain't just gonna sit there and let us do all the work, are ya?"

"Of course not...we'll be crrushing Drago like the cockroach he is," said Chloe, jumping out the cab and round the corner where the rest of the Chinese responce force, made of 2 tanks and a handful of infantry were firing on Po Kong and Ghoulwyrm. Several troopers were already out cold from the Shadowkhan.

Ghoulwyrm had gotten even larger, almost equal to his mistress in size and girth. His tendrils and tentacles were reaching down and grabbing anything before shoving them into his mouth. Luckily none of the troopers had been stupid enough to get close enough for that. One of the tanks however was despatched as Ghoulwyrm brought both fists down on its front.

"Yeah, good luck with fighting the big guys," said Matt, backing up a bit until he bumped into something slightly squishy. He looked up to see a Shadow Eater about 10 feet tall grinning down at him. Matt stared for a second before screaming and running for it at an impressive speed. The Leech Khan roared before chasing after him. "YOU DON'T WANT TO EAT ME! YOU DON'T KNOW WHERE I'VE BEEN!" screamed Matt

Matt ran between Mixmaster's legs. Mixmaster looked down and said, "Hey, watch where you're going!" before the Shadowkhan bumped into him.

Matt stopped and turned to see Mixmaster had started a fight with the Shadowkhan. "Ah...thank God," he said before the third tank landed in front of him. He turned slowly to see Ghoulwyrm looking at him like he was the last cake in the shop. "Uh, I take back all the ugly jokes I've made about you, and that includes the ones behind your back," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm roared at that and charged at Matt who started running again. "WHY DOES THIS ALWAYS HAPPEN TO ME?" yelled Matt as he ran.

Po Kong however had spotted Uncle. "The chi wizard," she said to herself.

Uncle was mixing up the ingredients for the banishing spell. "Tohru, where have you put drum?" asked Uncle.

Tohru looked through the bag of ingredients and pulledout a small drum. "It is here sensai." he said, passing it over.

Uncle looked at the drum before looking at Po Kong and Ghoulwyrm. "Uncle hope this drum is big enough," he said.

Chloe blasted a Khan aside before yelling, "Whatever you're going to do...DO IT!"

Just then, Matt ran by with Ghoulwyrm hot on his trail. "Did I mention that I had a lot of garlic for dinner?" shouted Matt. Matt tripped up suddenly and looked back to see Ghoulwyrm bearing down. "Oh smeg," he said before Kala, in dragon form, swooped down and snatched him up and out of reach.

"Did you forget you could just go dragon?" she asked with a toothy smirk.

"Uh, well, I had a lot on my mind," said Matt in a sulky voice.

Kala smirked. "It's ok, I missed you too," she said.

Suddenly, something black and white wrapped itself around her tail. Kala yelped as she was suddenly dragged backwards, the inertia throwing Matt out of her grasp. Matt turned dragon and turned around in time to see Kala being dragged by Ghoulwyrm's tongue into his mouth. Matt saw red at that before sending a blast of plasma fire down Ghoulwyrm's throat. Ghoulwyrm roared in pain before letting go of Kala.

"Ah, I wanted to do that," said Kala.

Matt flew up next to her before saying, "Couples should always do things together," before they both sent a second salvo at Ghoulwyrm.

Ghoulwyrm roared again as he was forced to swallow another spicy burst. Then Chloe flew up in dragon form. "Don't tell me you started roasting Ghoulwyrm without me," she said.

Ghoulwyrm said, "Oh no," before all three fired at him.

Suddenly, a giant green hand grabbed all three of them, squeezing them so tight it cut off their breath attacks with a squeak. Then they were lifted up to an equally large face. "What kind of tasty morsels do we have here?" said Po Kong.

"Oh hell," said Chloe.

"I've never seen this kind of dragon before," said Po Kong, "I wonder if you taste good?"

Kala glared and said, "We're not for eating, we cook instead," before all three tried to blast Po Kong. After a minute of blasting, they stopped to see they had caused nothing.

"Wow, what thick skin you have," said Matt.

Po Kong grinned before opening her mouth to swallow the dragons in one gulp.

However, a small volley of plasma blasts went into her mouth instead. Dune Runner flew up on his hoverboard and said, "Ya can't have a meal like that without a little appetizer." He fired at her face again.

Po Kong tossed the trio of dragons aside to swipe at Dune Runner who just dodged the attack.

The three dragons landed at a heap near Dirt Boss. "She's a big one, isn't she?" said Dirt Boss.

Matt, his voice muffled from being at the bottom of the pile said, "Less smartass, more kick ass."

"So how do you expect us to tire her out?" asked Dirt Boss.

Matt got his head out and said, "You know that thing your team could do that I strictly forbid you to do?"

Dirrt boss said, "Yes..." in a suspicious voice.

Matt sighed before saying, "I cannot believe I am saying this...you have permisison to use devestator on big and ugly over there...SO DO IT!"

"Sorry, can't do it," said Dirt Boss.

"Why not?" growled Matt.

"Ya need to sign this form," said Dirt Boss handing him a paper.

Matt looked at the form and said, "Ok...who's dumbass idea was this?" and winced as Chloe said with a smirk "It was yours." Matt glared before saying, "Dirt Boss...do it or I'll pull out your CPU and do this to it," before incinerating the form to ash.

"Good enough for me," said Dirt Boss before yelling, "Constructicons, assemble!"

Matt pulled himself out of the pile. "This should be fun," he said.

The other five Constructicons hurried over to them. Once they were all together, Dirt Boss called out, "Constructicons, unite!" The six of them started changing shape rapidly and piling up. Mixmaster and Long Haul lifted them up as they formed into legs while Scrapper and Hightower got on top of Rollout and became arms. Then Dirt Boss installed himself on top and expanded out into the head.

Matt watched as Devestator picked up one of the tank wrecks and threw it at Po Kong, missing and wrecking a building. "I feel I have made a tragic error in judgement," said Matt sagely.

"Hey ugly!" shouted Devastator, "This town ain't big enough for the two of us!"

Po Kong laughed at that. "No technology can harm a demon sorcerer. I will crush you with ease!" she said.

"The only way you can crush me is by sitting on me," taunted Devastator.

Po Kong said, "As you wish," before jumping up and landing on Devestator.

The two green giants started falling backwards, back towards where Matt, Kala, and Chloe were standing. "Erm...we should move," said Kala.

Matt however said, "Come on...these guys are professional figh..." before Devestator's left foot landed on him with a wince-worthy crunching noise.

"Uh, how much damage can Matt take?" asked Kala in a worried tone.

"I'm...docking...his...pay...ow…" said a weak voice from under the foot.

Chloe gave a sigh of relief and said, "If he's still able to threat, he'll be just fine."

"Get...him...off...me...losing...feeling...in...bones..." said Matt's voice.

Fortunately, Devastator's leg lifted soon after that as he and Po Kong started to really fight. Matt was in an imprint in the concrete, his eyes pointing in opposite directions. "I feel...pain...are we winning, maaa?" he said in a dizzy voice.

Chloe and Kala looked where Devastator was fighting Po Kong, only Ghoulwyrm and some extra large Shadowkhan were starting to gang up on him. "It's mostly a draw at the moment," said Kala in a distant voice before yelping as several Shadowkhan turned to look in their direction.

"Those things do only eat shadows, right?" said Chloe.

"I don't wanna find out." said Kala, throwing a fireball at one of them, only for the Khan to swallow it, unharmed.

"Oh no," said Chloe weakly.

"I hope Devastator can wear down Po Kong soon," said Kala.

Drago staggered into range before seeing Kala and Chloe. "You…" he said. He was not in a good mood. Po Kong and Ghoulyrm were not the only ones to have been visited by the Chinese army and being shot at by a tank had not helped his temperment.

"As if we didn't have enough to worry about already," said Chloe.

Drago glared. "I've had it with you," he said angrily, throwing a fireball at them.

Kala raised up a hand and the fireball stopped in midair. "The feeling's mutual," said Kala before hurling it back at him.

Drago yelped and was forced to do a move worthy of limbo to avoid his own shot. "You little..." he said angrily before a lightning bolt hit him in the face. Drago snarled before saying, "Ok, chivalry be damned, I'm taking both you bimbos down." He then charged at Kala.

Chloe jumped to the side and saw Matt's dazed look vanish as Drago's words. Drago had grabbed kala and was about to claw her when a blue-scaled clawed hand grabbed his wrist. Matt lifted Drago up to his face. "What did you say about my girl?" he growled.

Drago struggled before what Matt had said hit home, as well as Matt's psycho murderer glare. "Erm..." he said before Matt threw him into a wall.

The two girls watch as Matt then tackled Drago through the wall and the sound of heavy punching was heard. "That was nice of him to defend your honor, but how comes he didn't try to defend mine?" said Chloe.

"Because you'll take it out on Drago as soon as Matt's finished," said Kala.

Chloe shrugged. "Point to you, let's see how he's doing," she said, walking over with Kala to the hole to see Matt banging Drago's head on the wall.

"Matt doesn't use a large variety of hand-to-hand combat moves, does he?" said Kala.

Chloe said, "Well...he gets results," as Matt finally tossed Drago across the room.

"Out of curiosity, how much damage will Matt inflict on Drago before he's satisfied?" asked Kala.

Chloe said, "I dunno. I don't think he'll stop."

Matt, meanwhile, was advancing on Drago and aimed a swipe, only to be judo flipped. "Ok...forgot he could do that," he said.

"Right, does Matt know any kind of martial art or does he just barrel through?" asked Kala.

The duo winced as Drago finished breaking Matt's momentum with a judo kick to the chest. "Barreling," said Chloe, "You know, I'm just tempted to find a snack, kick back, and watch them go at it."

"Yeah, but I think we can find something else to occupy our time," said Kala, noticing several Shadowkhan forming up.

Matt got up dizzily as Drago walked up. "Ok...are we a bit annoyed about being passed over for promotion again?" he said, igniting a plasma orb

"Partially that, but I'm mostly sick of seeing your face," said Drago as he got a fireball ready.

"The feeling's mutual. You're a disgrae to dragons everywhere," said Matt, before throwing his orb at Drago.

Drago ducked the blast and said, "Me the disgrace? I had the entire world in my hand." He threw the fireball at Matt.

Matt dodged this. "I heard about that. Didn't hold onto it for long, did ya?" he taunted.

"No, Dad had to be a prick and join up with Chan to overthrow me," growled Drago before blasting with more fire.

"Oh dear, family trouble?" said Matt in his most annoying voice, his eyes on a girder over Drago.

"Oh, like you haven't had issues with your father," said Drago.

"Not really...unless you count how he once tossed me in the sea when we were at the beach," said Matt, before throwing a blast at the girder over Drago.

Drago spat a burst of flame up at the plasma orb, detonating it before it reached the girder. "As if I didn't see that coming," said Drago, "You really need to get some new material."

Matt backed up as lines of dust began to fall from the ceiling over Drago, where the blast had occured. spiderweb of cracks were already appearing. "Huh, takes a rare kind of incompotence to cause a counterattack to backfire," said Matt.

Drago looked confused at that. "What are you talking a..." he began before the ceiling gave out and buried him.

"Well, that was entertaining," said Matt, "Kinda wish I had thought of that." He was stepping over the pile when Drago's fist smashed out and grabbed his ankle, tripping him forward. "Ok, probably should have seen that coming," said Matt.

Drago pulled his head and upper torso free, looking furious. "You're dead meat."

"You'd be surprised how many times I've been called that," said Matt.

"How many times has it been followed up on?" said Drago, angrily.

Matt said, "Quite a few close calls to be honest."

With a snarl, Drago tossed Matt out into the open street. Matt ended up against the wall on the other side of the street. He got up just in time as the struggling Devastator and Po Kong demolished where he had been. "That was close," he said before half of a tank wreck landed next to him. Matt turned slowly to see Ghoulwyrm, before turning back to see Drago advancing from the other direction.

"Talk about being caught between a rock and a hard place," said Matt before pausing and calling out, "Hey Drago, were those just sparks you were throwing, or is that as bright as you can get?"

Drago glared before igniting a fireball as Matt finally got to him. "I'LL SHOW YOU SPARKS!" he roared, throwing the fireballs at Matt who dodged them, the fireballs continuing on their merry way into Ghoulwyrm.

Ghoulwyrm was irritated by the burns the fireballs left. He glared downwards to find the culprit. Matt pointed at Drago who was already readying another round of fireballs. Ghoulwyrm growled before shooting a sonic howl up the streeth, obliterating the pavement as it went.

Matt just managed to get out the way as the blast careened into Drago, sending him down the street along with it. "Hmm...so this is what it feels like to have a plan work," he said to himself as Ghoulwyrm plodded down the street in Drago's direction.

Kala and Chloe ran up to Matt. "Are you okay?" asked Kala.

"Fine...we'd better go help Jackie and the others," said Matt.

The three of them found Uncle working on his spell. "How much longer till it's portal time?" asked Matt.

Just then, the drum started glowing green. "All done," said Uncle.

"Good, drum solo time," said Matt, before Dirt Boss, who had been knocked off Devastator landed behind the group with a crash. "NOW PLEASE!" yelled Matt in a slight panic.

"The Immortal Symbol will not work if the demon is out of range," said Uncle.

"Ok...who's going to be bait then? Who is most likely to get the giant demon's attention?" said Chloe before eyes slowly moved towards Jackie.

"Uh, what about Morph?" asked Jackie, "He's not contributed too much to this fight."

Matt said, darkly, "Morph is...preoccupied."

...

A closet not so far away...

Morph, tied up with ion cabling looked around. "He'll be back with the donuts soon..." he said to himself.

...

"...very preoccupied...hehehehe," said Matt, rubbing his hands together with a dark little chuckle.

"Good luck with the big demon," said Kala, patting Jackie on the back.

Po Kong finally blasted the rest of Devastator to the ground, scattering him back into his component Constructicons, and said, "Useless machine..." before looking around as Jackie was pushed into view. "Chan," she said darkly.

Jackie quickly beat the drum three times, but nothing happened. "Do you have wax blocking your ears?" snapped Uncle, "You must get closer to the demon for the spell to work."

Po Kong noticed the drum. "Not again," she said, pulling a chunk of masonary off a building and throwing it.

Jackie dodged the masonry and said, "How am I supposed to get close enough without being smashed?"

Dune Runner blasted a second chuck of wall out the air and landed next to Jackie. "Need a ride, mon?"

Matt called out, "Welcome to my world...this is a good day."

Dune Runner shifted to vehicle mode and said, "We don't want to stay in one spot for too long."

A piece of masonary smashed down next to them, proving the point and Dune immediately hit the acelerator so to speak. Po Kong immediaely roared angrily as Dune shot past her.

"Just how close do we need ta be?" asked Dune Runner as he drove around rubble.

"Pretty close," said Jackie as Dune circled the furious demon sorcerer.

"I can make out the crevices in her skin, is dat close enough?" asked Dune.

Jackie yelped as Po Kong tried to snatch up Dune Runner. "Close enough," he said, hitting the drum

As soon as the drum rang for the third time, a ripple seemed to go through the air. Suddenly, a demon door appeared behind Po Kong and a strong wind started pulling everything towards the door. Po Kong roared angrily as the vortex sucked her towards the demon door. At the same time, Ghoulwyrm, about to chomp Drago, went crosseyed and began to shrink as the demon chi was sucked out.

The Contructicons, thanks to their large mass, weren't being pulled in, so they served as stable anchors for those who were considerably lighter. "YOU DIDN'T MENTION THAT THIS DUMB PORTAL SUCKED IN EVERYTHING!" yelled Matt, using his hybrid form to hand onto a wall via his claws.

"She's a very large demon, how else would it send her back?" shouted Uncle as he held onto Tohru.

"I do hate you...you realise that!" retorted a furious Matt.

Matt's inconvenience was paltry compared to Dune Runner's, who was so close to the portal that he had to floor it to keep from being sucked in. "Buckle your seatbelt, mon!" he shouted to Jackie.

Jackie did so before Dune Runner gave it full power, finally getting out the vortex, just in time as Po Kong finally fell into the portal, a stream of demon chi following her through.

As soon as the demon portal closed, the Leech Khan all disappeared, the ones that had eaten shadows dispersing into thousands of black whisps that flew through the city.

Chris was the first of the down team to awaken. "Oh, my head...wait...where are we? What happened to the mountain?"

"I'll fill you in later," said Chloe, "First I want to see if there's anything left of Drago to give a piece of my mind to."

On the subject of Drago, Ghoulwyrm had just come to his senses to see a furious Drago. "What happened? Did the chi not work?" he said dizzily.

"Oh, it worked just fine," said Drago, cracking his knuckles, "But I better check if there's any left." Ghoulwyrm took a step back before Drago started pummeling him

Just then, Chloe came around the corner. "Hey Drago," she started before stopping when she saw what was going on. She watched for a minute before shrugging and walking back. "He's occupied," said Chloe.

Matt looked around at the ruined street, "Man...this is the worst yet. I feel sorry for whoever's on cleanup."

"That'd be us," said Dirt Boss, "Which means we're gonna need someone to speak to the mayor about our repair fees. And while we're on the topic, we gotta the payment for us nearly getting our gears stripped by Queen Po Kong."

Matt stopped at that. "Oh crapski," he said gloomily

"Let's see, there's the enemy type tax, injury fee, supply usesage, and the bonus of us having to combine. Which should bring us to about...this," said Dirt Boss before handing Matt a piece of paper.

Matt looked at the bill and made a whimpering noise.

Dirt Boss looked over Matt's shoulder and said, "Whoops, misplaced that decimal point." He put the dot a little to the left.

Matt looked at the now smaller ammount. It was still insanely large...but nowhere near as bad. "Ok...I can live with this," he whimpered.

"Ok then, you go talk with the mayor for us," said Dirt Boss before shouting, "Boys, oil break!"

Matt settled for falling over at that. Chloe sighed. "...and that's why we were reluctant to bring these lot in," she said

Dune Runner had droven over by that. "Just be thankful ya didn't call for de Dinobots," he said.

"The Dinowho?" asked Jade.

Matt shot upright at that, "NO...YOU'LL NEVER MEET THEM...NEVER, I SAY! So it doesn't matter...ok?" before falling back again.

"Well, at least there's only demon left that Ghoulwyrm can unleash now," said Jade.

"He had better not show up any time soon," grumbled Kala.

"Well, at least it wasn't an international incident," said Chloe. Suddenly, the group heard muffled shouts coming from a shaking portapotty.

"Erm...almost..." said Kala before she and Chloe walked towards where ther 'prisoner' was.

The two girls opened the door to see the Chinese soldier glaring at them. He started shouting muffled Chinese threats and insults through his gag. Chloe closed the door and turned to Matt, "Hey Matt, can I borrow that mind wipe glove?"

* * *

And finally another update. I'm sorry for the long delay, but I've been caught up with several things. Not the least of them is writer's block. But the update will hopefully be more frequent now.

Anyways, onto the chapter analysis. Of course Po Kong was going to end up summoned in the mountains. I briefly considered Mt. Fuji, but then decided to go for the tallest mountain range in the world. Her Shadowkhan minions were a bit hard to choose. But there was already a process of elimination going on. And I decided the Leech Khans would be best since they share the same insatiable appetite. I felt that Ghoulwyrm deserved a little bit of a break so he became the apprentice. Though probably not the apprenticeship most would choose.

And also there's the featured Transformers, who mainly appeared in my last story. Dune Runner is my original creation as well as half of the Constructicons. The other half are from Transformers Animated. I know it's a bit odd having Transformers here, particularly Constructicons acting as good guys. But I feel this Constructicons are different from the classic ones. Besides, who wouldn't want to see Devastator fight Po Kong? By the way, in case you were wondering about Dune Runner's reaction to the term 'Mini Khan', it's because it's phonetically similar to something involving another Dune Runner. If you were a TF fan, you'd know what I mean.

Anyways, now there's only demon left to summon? Will he be next? Maybe not. In fact, I would expect some filler, but very important, chapters to come. So stick around and please review.


	13. The Ouroboros Mission

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 13: The Ouroboros Mission**

There was a strange sensation for the gang. They were experiencing peace and quiet. Ghoulwyrm and Drago had laid low for two weeks since the incident in Tibet and as far as Matt was concerned, it could stay that way.

So when Jackie was sent by the university to check out an island in the South Pacific, it sounded like a fun geta-, er, valuable learning experience. However, one person wanted to go as well.

…

Matt looked at the letter before looking up at Jade. "And this is why you want to borrow the holocloak again?" he said.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that a lizard girl will attract a lot of attention, wouldn't she?" said Jade.

"I'm certain that Jackie won't want you along. Plus what if Uncle finds the key to get that thing off and you're in the South Pacific?" said Matt

"Well, he can take it off when I get back," said Jade, "And it's not like we're hunting sea monsters. We're just looking at a desert island."

"Look, give me a good reason why I should give you a holocloak," said Matt.

"Because you wouldn't want Chloe hearing about you and Kala getting too friendly," said Jade.

Matt's face twitched before he said, "Prove it."

Jade waved a bunch of photos in Matt's face. "Worth a thousand words each, and a good of amount of those are words I'm not allowed to say," she said.

Matt looked at one of the pictures and his left eye twitched. "Ok...holocloaks in locker 21-B...code is 512...if you tell Chloe...I will send the spiderbots after you...ok?" he said.

"I knew you'd understand," said Jade happily before walking off.

Matt sighed. "I can't believe she blackmailed me like that...well played," he said to himself.

…

A few days later, Jackie, Jade, Matt, Chloe, and Kala were sailing on a dinghy beneath the balmy sky overlooking the South Pacific. Matt said, "Ok...why are we coming?" looking at the sea

"Satellites have picked up a strange energy signature out here," said Jackie, "From what they could tell, it appeared to be a floating island."

Matt peered out. "Let me guess...Captain Black asked for us to tag along?" he said before looking at Jade and deciding to try for revenge. "Say...who's the new assistant?" he said with an evil grin.

Jackie looked at Jade, who had chosen her holographic disguise to be of a young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, and said, "Um, well, I don't think I've caught her name."

Jade looked panicky at that before glaring at Matt. "Erm...Allison," she said, saying the first name that came to mind.

"Oh, nice to meet you, Allison," said Matt, putting as much sarcasm into it as he can.

Jade glared. "Nice to meet you too," she said in a strained voice.

"Yes, yes, you all know each other, now keep it down. You'll scare the fish." Matt, 'Allison', and Jackie looked towards where Draco, Contrinus, and Chip had fishing lines trailing after the boat. Morph was holding a mallet over the water with one hand and a piece of cheese with the other.

Matt yelped and snapped, "Back below deck...what if that doctor sees you?"

"Hey, if you want a decent fish fry, you need to catch some fish first," said Draco.

Kala said, "Uh oh...he's coming." Matt yelped and blasted the lifeboat so it fell on top of the experiments just as Dr. Andrews and his assistant, Darren, walked into view.

"What was that bang?" said Darren, suspiciously.

"Oh, the lifeboat's pulley seemed to have broken," said Matt, "I thought these ships were supposed to be more, well, shipshape."

Dr. Andrews said, "Hmm...I'll talk to the captain," before walking off.

Matt glared as Darren walked up to Jade. The guy had been attempting to get her favor since they had met...despite one incident when Jade had tossed him overboard. "Ah, Miss Allison," said Dr. Andrew, "The sun sure is shining beautifully. Even more so that it's shining on you."

Matt said, "Is that the best you have? That's pathetic."

A voice from under the lifeboat whispered, "Yeah...like yours are better." Matt kicked the lifeboat at that.

Jade sighed and said, "Forecast is gonna get a lot more stormy if you don't back off."

"Oh please...it's a clear sky," said Darren.

Jade's eyes were about to glow green when Matt called out loudly, "Yes, the weather is clear. It's not like we have any weather-changing dragons around here."

Darren looked at Matt. "Are you still here?" he said, coldly.

"What, should I be swabbing the decks or something?" asked Matt.

"Just...go do whatever you Vietnam rejects do," said Darren.

Matt glared, "You're an insult to England," before stomping off.

Darren turned back to Jade and said, "I'm so sorry you have to endure these pests. Honestly, I don't see why we have to bring along on this voyage."

Darren carried on insulting the gang as Morph squeezed out from under the lifeboat, spun, and was suddenly wearing a top hat and monocle, making exaggerated movements, copying Darren.

"These rogues are far better off scrubbing the barnacles off of some fishing boat than being here and ruining the good atmosphere," said Darren before noticing Jade's face trying to keep from laughing. "I'm glad you see it my way," he said, "But those were hardly the funniest comments I've..." He spun around, but Morph had disappeared back under the lifeboat by then.

Darren turned before saying, "This ship is strange. I was sure I saw a lizard walking...who said 'what lizard?'?"

"Maybe it's the heat," said Jade, "Too much time on the ocean with this much sunlight can play tricks on your eyes."

"Of course...that's right..." said Darren.

Darren walked off to clear his head. As soon as he was out of sight, Jade went over and lifted the lifeboat up. "Morph, did you really have to do that goofy imitation thing?" asked Jade.

Morph thought for a second before saying, "Yes."

Jade sighed. "Look...I can't let Jackie find out..." she said before Jackie said "Find out what?" as he walked into view.

'Allison' spun around, dropping the lifeboat as she did. "Nothing," she said, loud enough to cover the cry of 'Ow, my foot!'

Jackie said, "How did you lift that lifeboat?"

"It's lighter than it looks," said 'Allison'. Jackie looked at 'Allison' before shrugging and walking off.

Jade briefly lifted up the lifeboat and said, "Sorry."

"Ow, my aching foot," moaned Morph.

Draco said, "You can't hide this forever. He'll find out."

"Hopefully, it'll be at the point where it'll too much of a waste of time to go back," said Jade.

"We passed that point days ago," said Chip.

"Hey, might as well try to set the record for how long I can pull it off," said Jade.

Draco said, "I bet you that you'll be busted before we get to the island."

"You're on," said Jade.

"Great," said Contrinus, "Can we go back to fishing now?"

Draco said, "And if we win...you have to give us the key to the donut fridge at section 13."

"And if I win, you get me the complete Mechanoid collection," said Jade.

Draco said, "It's a shame to take you donuts from..." before everyone jumped as Contrinus yelled "FISHING!"

"Yeah, I'm not gonna let this cheese go to-" started Morph before noticing only his mallet there. "Ok, who ate my cheese?"

…

Meanwhile, Matt was on his comm in his quarters. "You want us to what?" he said.

McNeil said, "That place is giving off all the signs of it being an Atlantean facility. The N.S.C.A. wants you to take any tech you find. I've sent Delta Team to back you up. They should arrive the day after you do. We need to time insertion to avoid them being spotted by the U.S Pacific fleet."

"Uh, you do know that Atlantean facilities are characteristically bustling with booby traps, right?" said Matt.

"That's why Delta Team's gonna back you up. They're some of my best men," said McNeil.

"It still sound like we're the canary," said Matt.

"They'll be waiting, just send a signal if you need them," said McNeil, before adding, "But if Chan see's anything, mindwipe them. He may know about Antarctica base...but that's all we're willing to risk."

"Uh, it is my experience that one should not simply walk into one of these facilities without encountering some ancient retribution, no pun intended," said Matt.

"You'll be fine, JUST DO IT!" said McNeil, yelling the last part before hanging up.

"Geeze, not sure who has more personality appeal, him or Dr. Andrew," said Matt.

Chloe walked in. "Ok...I'm guessing it wasn't Captain Black who arranged this trip after all," she said, before adding, "The wall's thin."

Matt sighed and said, "And I bet the island actually floats too. Hopefully in the water instead of over it."

…

Meanwhile, the 'captain' was talking with his men. "Are you sure it's those weirdo's from the bank job, boss?" said one of the crew.

"The guy with the glasses was there alright," said one of them, "Though he sounded a lot crazier back then."

The captain glared. "It's them alright. It just makes the job sweeter. As soon as that professor's found the stuff of value on the island, we slit their throats and live like kings by selling it," he said.

"Who would buy this stuff?" asked one of the men.

"There's bound to be something valuable." said the captain.

"Not that I object to the slitting throats part, Dante," said another crewmember, "But I've heard that these guys aren't that easy to kill."

The captain, Dante, said, "If they bleed...they can die."

…

Meanwhile, another secret meeting was going on aboard that ship. "Matt, you know you won't be able to hide Jade's identity forever," said Chip.

"Oh, like she's the only stowaway aboard this ship," said Matt accusingly.

Chloe and Kala looked at the experiments for a second. Kala said, "What I don't get is how she cracked the safe? It had an alarm on it and it wasn't forced...and only Matt knows the code."

"Well...she's a smart kid, she's got talent coming out of her ears," said Matt, "Frankly, it's a crying shame she isn't a mercenary."

Chloe turned her gaze on Matt who immediately looked innocent. "Right…" she said finally.

"Anyways, Jackie finding out isn't as big a deal as that creep Darren hitting on her," said Matt.

Chloe snorted, "That idiot? He has all the appeal of a cockroach."

Matt said, "Yeah...one that Jade is perfectly capable of crushing if he pushes her too far."

"Oh, Jade wouldn't go that far," said Kala.

Matt said, "Oh yeah...like when you nearly roasted him back at San Francisco harbor?"

Chloe smiled, "Yeah...that was fun."

"It certainly doesn't help that there's a limited amount of space you can place between them on this ship," said Draco, "When are we supposed to get to this island?"

"Tomorrow," said Matt before he and Chloe winced.

"Wait, how would you know?" asked Chip.

Chloe sighed and said, "McNeil says there's Ancient tech on the island. We're to go in and grab it for the NSC."

"Uh, you mean like that facility where we found those wyverns on Avalar?" asked Contrinus.

"Bingo..." said Matt.

Only Morph didn't have a feeling of dread. "You guys met wyverns? Lucky."

Contrinus said, "Yeah...they were friendly."

Chloe snapped at that, "THEY LOCKED US IN CAGES AND SHOVED US DOWN A REACTOR VENT!"

"Ok, a little primitive, but not too bad," said Contrinus.

"Coming from the only one who wasn't locked up," said Matt bitterly

"Well, the Ancient facility in Antarctica wasn't too bad," said Chip, "Except for the Shendu episode."

Matt shuddered. "Don't remind me," he said distantly

"Well, it's not the base I'm worried about so much as this crew," said Draco, "There's not a chance they won't want to swipe something. Which will probably trigger something that'll sink the island or similarly disastrous."

Matt and Chloe looked at each other and Chloe said, "Please...have you been watching Indiana Jones again?"

"Oh, like you guys have never been in any situations like that," said Contrinus.

"No," said Matt, causing Morph to turn into Fibber and buzz.

Matt winced and said to Chloe, "Remind me why we didn't toss him overboard."

"Because the little moron's perfect for being the 'canary'." said Chloe.

"Ooh, I like canaries, they're such pretty birds," said Morph before whistling like a canary.

Matt gave a 'we rest our case' look at the other experiments.

"I still don't trust this crew," said Contrinus, "I can't help but they're going to go Long John Silver on us."

Matt said, "Oh please...we could kick their asses three ways before they could finish the second word of 'we're betraying you'."

A cry of 'land ho' was heard and a knock was heard on the cabin door.

The experiments quickly hid in the corner, though Morph had to be yanked back when he didn't respond. Darren opened the door and glared at Matt, Chloe, and Kala. "Get a move on," he snapped, "We're not paying you to just stand around and do nothing."

Matt glared and was about to say something when Kala clamped his mouth shut and said, "Fine...we do need to get our gear ready first though."

Darren gave a sigh of annoyance and said, "Can't even trust you to have your gear prepared."

Matt said, "We can't just click our fingers and have the gear that is needed to stop various wild nasties seeing what you taste like ready."

Darren seemed to flinch at that and said, "Just get ready," before closing the door.

"Ok, you heard Captain Obnoxious, let's gear up," said Matt.

...

Matt sat in the ship's dinghy and looked at the island ahead of them, trying not to think that it looked alot like the island from Jurassic Park.

"You certain that island is deserted?" asked the captain.

"Not unless there's a roving band of cannibals making a stop there," said Matt, sending a mean look at Dr. Andrews and Darren.

Darren scooted closer on the dinghy seat towards 'Alison' and said, "I would not let any such monsters hurt my dam...ow...something burnt me," he said, Matt lowering his smoking finger unnoticed.

However, the captain was thinking of something quite different. _'Good, no witnesses,'_ he thought.

Darren, despite everything had been worried when Matt, Kala and Chloe had come out with what looked like assault rifles. He finally said, "You won't need those guns...will you?"

"Hard to say," said Chloe, "We may run into something nasty, like a wild pig, or a Komodo dragon."

"Yup, but then again, as 'idiots', our reaction time may not be fast enough to save you, Darren," added Matt.

Dr. Andrews cleared his throat and said, "We are here to study ruins, not big game hunting."

"We weren't planning too," said Kala, a little hotly. The scientists had not helped her temper either.

Jackie decided to break up the brooding atmosphere. "Once we hit shore, we should head straight northeast," he said, "Captain Black got me a map from a satellite picture, but there's a good chance it would have missed some details."

Matt muttered, "Like genetic monstrosities from before the dawn of time."

"We also need to keep an eye on the tides," said Jackie, "Low tide will be in two hours, so we need to be back before then or we won't be able to get back to the ship until the tide comes in again."

Matt nodded, "Yeah...I don't wanna spend another minute longer here than necessary."

"We'll need to set up a base camp on shore then," said Dr. Andrews. "But that will take too much time," said Jackie.

Dr. Andrews said, "Mr. Chan, this is my expedition. We will need more than a few hours on shore to study these ruins properly."

"It'll take about six hours for the tides to come back in," said Jackie.

"And these ruins are the find of the century. I need longer than that to study my find," said Dr. Andrews.

"Your find?" said Matt, "Hey, give credit where credit's due, pal."

Dr. Andrews said, "I did not ask your opinion," and only Kala and Chloe stopped Matt dealing plasma-flavored death.

The other crewmembers were of similarly low opinion. "This guy's a Grade-A snob," said one of the crewmembers to the captain.

"He'll be Grade-A worm chow when we're done," replied the captain.

Another crewman nodded, looking worried. For the last 10 minutes he had been hearing voices from one of the supply boxes. He tried to ignore it, but he could have sworn he heard someone say, "Get your stupid tail out of my face."

"It's just land fever. It's just land fever," he said to himself, getting a few funny looks from his friends.

…

After base camp was set up, a small group was selected to go into the jungle to look at the ruins. To his great displeasure, Matt was among that group.

Dante had also had to come along. "So...any idea what kinda things to expect?" he said.

Matt muttered, "Hopefully more wyverns."

"Just keep an eye out for anything tribal in nature," said Andrews, "There's bound to be something here somewhere."

Matt slipped back a bit to walk alongside Jackie. "This guy's a total jerk," he muttered to Jackie.

"You think he was bad, you should have seen Mr. Smith," said Jackie.

"Ah, I'm guessing that I don't wanna know," said Matt.

"Well, let's just say, at least Andrews didn't insist on bringing a butler," said Jackie.

"No, he just lets his assistant hit on Jade, I MEAN ALLISON!" said Matt, twitching as he realized his mistake.

"What was that?" asked Jackie suspiciously.

"Nothing," said Matt, desperately.

However, Jackie wasn't deterred that easily. "Is there something you're hiding from me?" he asked.

Matt gulped and quickly went through his brain for anything that would be believable. Luckily, he was saved from this impossible search as Dante, at the head of the group called out "Hey...I got something here."

"Oh, really, let me see," said Matt really fast and rushing ahead towards Dante.

Dante pulled aside some grass to reveal what could only be described as a large hole...except it was a perfect smooth circle. Dr. Andrews wasn't impressed. "It's a hole in the ground," he said.

Matt looked down the hole. "I've never seen a hole you could slide down. That's perfectly smooth...maybe it's part of the pyramid?" he said, pointing to the pyramid.

The group looked at a fairly large pyramid, made of perfectly smooth stone. "That shouldn't be here," said Jackie, "There couldn't be enough stone on this island."

"If that's stone, why can't we see the joins?" said Matt.

"Lynch, don't obscure the facts with such preposterous remarks," said Andrews.

"Ok. Where are the joins then?" said Matt.

"They're there, of course," said Andrews, "You just haven't looked closely enough." He started walking towards the pyramid.

Matt grinned evilly and said to himself, "This should be an explanation worth watching," before following.

Andrews walked right up to the pyramid and started patting the sides. "Hmm, there should be a door somewhere," he said, "This feels like a very strange stone."

Matt however could read the Atlantean runes that stated various warnings. "Erm..." he said walking over and pushing Dr. Andrews aside...just in time as a slab flipped forward and squashed him into the grass. "I...found...the door," he winced

"Well, not the welcome mat I had in mind," said Dante before walking in, walking over the slab while Matt was still under it.

"I...am not...a doormat...I am...a human," rasped Matt from underneath.

"Frankly, you look more like a stamped cockroach," said Andrews, walking inside.

Matt said, "You will pay for those words, good sir...after Jackie passes me the first aid kit."

A little while later, Jackie and Matt went inside. Matt knew what to expect, but Jackie was taken by surprise. The room was darkened, powered down and may have looked like a tomb but Matt knew the layout. It looked frighteningly like the bridge of Taleth's ship...an Atlantean cruiser. "Erm...we might want to be careful what we touch in here. Erm...my last...expedition ran into a tomb like this last time," said Matt.

"Let me guess, you were chased out by a mummy," said Dante.

"No...but the roof shot down and crushed 5 team members into paste," said Matt, making Dante take a step back from a table-like construction near the wall.

"So is there anything we're allowed to touch?" asked Andrews sarcastically.

"Don't touch anything that looks like it can be pressed in..." said Matt, wincing as Dante pushed a rune on the rule, making a slab move into the ceiling, a door control.

"Er, should I do that again?" asked Dante.

"No...but you can walk ahead of me," said Matt. Dante glared before walking in and Matt finished "...cause that rune says 'dart traps ahead'," pointing to a rune over the door as several yelps were heard from the corridor.

"Uh, Matt..." said Jackie.

"Oh. I'm sure they're not that deadly...usually the deadly traps are later if this is a standard layout," said Matt cheerfully.

Dante walked back, looking a little angry and rather spiny. He plucked out some darts and said, "I assume there's no poison in these since I'm still breathing."

"No...unless they have green stripes on them," said Matt, evilly.

Dante glared and said, "Why don't YOU go ahead then?"

Andrews said, "Let just get this over so I can report this to the museum."

...

The trail into the pyramid eventually led to another room of sealed doors. Dante looked up at the rune labels and said bluntly "Ok...where's the treasure?"

Matt looked at the doors and said, "Looks like we'll have to settle this the old-fashioned way." He then began pointing between the two doors and said, "Eenie, meenie, minie, mo..."

Andrews threw up his arms angrily. "I don't believe this. This is my expedition, not some Indiana Jones reject's," he said, hitting a picture on the wall, causing the large slab it was on raising to reveal a lit corridor, despite there being no light wells to illuminate it.

"Ah, this way," said Dante, starting down the corridor.

Andrews pushed Dante aside. "This is my expedition," he said before walking into the tunnel with Dante.

Matt said to Jackie, "I have a bad feeling about where we are."

"Matt, I get the feeling that this isn't a tomb," said Jackie.

"If I'm right, we're in danger of running into a bunch of angry Shar-Virk...cause we're in their ship," said Matt.

"Their ship? Here? But it has to have been here at least several centuries, if not a few millenniums," said Jackie.

"So? I've met these Shar-Virk. They have all the powers that me, Chloe, and Kala have and none of the morals. One of them is someone that I once met when I accidentally went back in time 12,000 years 4 months ago," said Matt.

Jackie looked at Matt and asked, "Time portal?"

"You don't wanna know. Needless to say, we had to repair all of causality. Like I said, you don't wanna know," said Matt.

"Sounds sort of like what happened to me and Jade," said Jackie, "You don't wanna know."

"Don't ask, won't tell. Let's follow Dr. Dufus and Captain Pugwash before they blow up the reactor," said Matt.

"Uh, there wouldn't be any crewmembers left after all this time, would there?" asked Jackie.

"Taleth's about 12,000 years old at least, they age well," said Matt before the two ran after Dante and Andrews.

The two of them caught up to Dante and Andrews in a room that had what looked like crystal tubes crisscross over to a large sphere that was encrusted with diamonds. Now it didn't take a genius to tell what Andrews and Dante were thinking. You could virtually see the dollar signs in their eyes, though with Andrews, it may have been pound signs.

Matt said, "Erm...guys? We should move on. We really should not be here."

"Are you mad, man?" said Andrew, "Do you have any idea how much this is worth?"

"But removing it would do bad things...like kill us all," Matt said, before pointing to a rune that said where the restroom was. "That says it will curse whoever removes it," he said desperately.

"Curse? Don't tell me your superstitious and slow-witted," said Andrews.

"No really, you would not believe the weird shit I have seen. This is a very bad place to be," said Matt.

"Oh, I'd say this is a very good place..." said Dante before pointing a pistol between Matt's eyes, "...to drop the act."

"Oh boy, I thought I knew you," said Matt gloomily.

Dante said, "You didn't soon enough..." before Matt continued "You're the bank robbing idiot."

Dante glared and said, "I'll have to kill a little more painfully for that."

Andrews, however, said, "What is the meaning of this, captain?"

"It means that I'm not putting up with one more word from you, you limey snob," said Dante before hitting Andrews over the head with the butt of his pistol.

Dante kept the gun pointed at Andrews as Matt and Jackie looked shocked. "Don't even try it, you little freak. I remember the trick you pulled at the bank," before he pulled out his radio, "Guys, plan's moving forward, secure the camp."

…

The base camp wasn't too bad a piece of work. It sure was more comfortable than most, if not all, of the outdoors camps that the Lynches had been too. Of course, the company wasn't particularly welcome.

Jade sat in her tent and sighed before looking at Chloe and Kala. "I've tried everything to get this creep to take the hint," she said, referring to Darren.

"Some men are like that," said Chloe.

"How do you get rid of jerks like him?" said Jade before the tent door flapped as someone knocked and Darren looked in.

He glared at Chloe and Kala and said, "Why don't you...mercenaries go do something useful? I'd like to talk with dear Allison in private."

The girls gave Darren an annoyed look before Chloe leaned over and whispered something to 'Allison'. Then they got up and headed out of the tent.

"You know, I hear some tropical plants can induce hallucinations," said Kala as they left.

Darren glared at them. "What are those idiots talking about? They're far below you," he said.

"Oh, just a little gossip," said Jade, "You know, it's not just consuming jungle plants, but just breathing in the pollen too."

"I've had all my shots. I honestly do not know why those fools were hired. Captain Dante and his men have done much better up to now," said Darren.

"I don't know," said Jade, "Something about that guy's shifty."

"Please, don't be silly, my lovely," said Darren, pushing the nauseous charm up a notch.

Suddenly, Jade fanned with a large leaf herself and said, "Whoa, it sure is humid on this island." She used a leaf to keep Andrew from seeing her eyes glow green.

Unfortunately, whatever Jade had planned stopped as the tent was opened again and one of Dante's men looked in. "Hey, we need you two out here," the guy said.

Jade, being a master herself, could tell she was hearing a lie. "Um, sorry, we're...busy," she said, the last word having a little disgust behind it.

"I'm sorry, we need everyone out here...NOW," said the crewman, putting a little force behind his voice.

"Oh, we'll be right out," said Darren before grumbling, "Can't get a moment's privacy..."

He and Jade walked out into the sights of two more of Dante's men, holding the same plasma rifles as was used in the bank robbery. The first crewman aimed a pistol at them. "Ok...hands in the air," he said and was surprised as Darren screamed and jumped behind Jade.

"Don't hurt me...take her," he said in sheer terror.

Jade rolled her eyes and said, "And just when you couldn't get more unappealing."

The first crewman looked down at Darren. "I think he pissed himself," he said, he and the other two laughing before one of the rifle holders said, "Drop the leaf...what're you hiding?"

Jade sighed and dropped the leaf. However, she forgot to 'turn off' her building-up dragon powers, so her eyes were still glowing a vivant green.

The three looked at her before one screamed, "SHE'S ONE OF THOSE FREAKS!" and fired a blast at Jade, knocking her back into the tent.

The two rifle holders turned to look at the first guy. "You think you can handle Mr. Chivalrous here?" one of them said.

The first guy glared, "Easily."

The second rifle holder said, "Fine...clean up the other one. We'll go deal with the others."

There was a rustle from the tent as a voice said, "Ok, trying to take me hostage was bad enough, but you have any idea how hard it was to get that holocloak?" Jade emerged from the tent, showing all her dragoness ire.

Darren stared before whimpering and passing out. The crewman however raised his pistol and actually managed a shot before Jade punched him hard enough to send him flying into the undergrowth. Jade looked down at the unconscious Darren and said, "Have you gotten the message now? Yes? Excellent."

The sound of plasma fire came from the next clearing, closely followed by the once heard, never forgotten dual noise of electricity and fire being fired, mixed with panicked yells. "Hmm, guess they won't need help, no surprise," said Jade.

She walked out into the next clearing, dragging Darren by his foot to see the two missing crewmen out cold. It turned out they had tried to burst in on Kala and Chloe playing 'go fish' with the experiments.

"So, it looks like the crew isn't that trustworthy," said Jade in a casual tone.

"Nope, got any 4's?" said Chip.

Chloe said, "Go fish...hold on," tazering one of the crewman as he stirred before she turned to look at Jade. "Hey...JADE! What happened to the holocloak?"

"Wasn't bulletproof," said Jade, showing the damaged item in question.

Chloe facepalmed and said, "Those things are insanely expensive," before she said, "Wait a sec...if these guys are backstabbing pirates. What about their captain?"

"He's with Matt and Jackie," said Jade.

"...and a perfect hostage," said Chloe, picking up one of the discarded plasma rifles.

Contrinus said, "I told you they would mutiny."

"Technically, the leader's also the designated captain, so we would be the mutineers," said Chip.

"Semantics, if we're the mutineers, we should be allowed to make that jerk walk the plank. It's gotta be that bank robber from a few weeks ago. Who else has plasma rifles?" said Chloe.

"The Dante alternate?" asked Draco, "What are the odds?"

"Astronomical till you add my brother into the mix," said Chloe darkly.

"What do you mean by 'alternate'?" asked Jade.

"It's...complicated," said Kala.

"All you have to know is that we have to go deal with him," said Chloe.

…

Back at the pyramid, Matt and Jackie were forced to sit in a corner of the room along with the unconscious Dr. Andrew while Dante looked for anything valuable. "Matt, we can't let Dante steal anything," whispered Jackie to Matt.

Matt muttered back, "Please...this cut rate robber won't find anything...and then I'll hit him a few dozen times till he learns to shut up."

Dante gave a final sweep around before saying, "I bet all the good loot is buried down deeper."

"Good...I look forward to seeing a tentacled monstrosity suck your brains out via your nose," said Matt cheekily.

"Well, might as well see if these diamonds are any good," said Dante before taking out a knife and started prying at one of the diamonds embedded in the sphere.

"Bad idea, mate," said Matt, warningly.

"Oh, I'll put back in, after I appraise it," said Dante as he got his knife into the groove. Matt winced as Dante prized a diamond loose and immediately the lights went out.

"Uh, that's bad, right?" said Jackie.

A whining noise began, sounding suspiciously like a siren and several red crystals high up began to pulse on and off. "I'd hesitate to say 'yes', this is a bad thing," said Matt.

A strange echo sounded before a voice said, "Language recognized: Briton...altering...CPU crystal 41-b removed...alert...hostile intent 98.4% probability. Rebooting defense grid in all sectors."

Dante immediately shoved the diamond back into place, hoping to cancel the reactivation.

"Activity confirmed in CPU room 4. Dispatching defense units," said the voice in the same monotone voice.

"I think it's time to be making our exit," said Matt as he got up and headed towards the door.

Dante sighed and said, "Nope...they'll chase us unless there's something to slow them down," and with that he shot Matt in the ankle. "Have fun, ya little freak," he said, backing out of the room, aiming at Jackie.

Matt grabbed his wounded ankle and said, "Ok, now this is getting personal." A small plasma flare caused the pistol to melt into useless semi-solid metal.

Dante dropped it and turned to be face to face with what looked like a 50 year old man with hair gone all grey and more bags under his eyes than wrinkles on the rest of his face. "Who are you, thief?" said the man in an annoyed voice. The three of them were rather surprised by the man's appearance. Even Matt's infamous sharp tongue couldn't come up with a witty remark.

Dante was the first to speak. "Out the way, gramps before I make you," he said and was surprised when the old man chuckled darkly.

"You have no idea where you are, thief...do you?" he said

"Uh, can I guess?" asked Jackie.

Dante glared. "I said get out of my..." he said, taking a swing and went white as the old man's hand shot out at snake speed and grabbed the fist at the wrist, holding it in place without any effort.

"Am I right to assume that the local law still stands that intruders in a man's home may be dealt with at the owner's discretion?" asked the old man.

Dante winced and managed to reach for a knife with his spare hand, only for the man's eyes to glow a familiar blue and the blade to melt. This doubled Matt's suspicions and firmly told him that goading would be a suicidal bad idea.

Dante winced and tried one last punch only for the man to beat him to it, sending Dante sailing across the room. "Barbarians...oh well," said the man, looking around as if nothing had happened.

"Uh, we're sorry to intrude upon your house," said Jackie, "We were under the impression that no one has been here for centuries."

"Then you should check properly before you meddle with technology beyond your understandings," said the old man.

"For the record, he meddled, not us," said Matt, pointing at Dante.

"You are his companions. You should have stopped him, so you will join him," said the old man, before making a plasma orb appear in his hand and throwing it at Matt. Matt raised a hand, but instead of stopping, the plasma orb merely slowed down. The old man seemed a bit surprised at that before saying, "Well, well, it seems there are still some around," before flicking his wrist, turning the plasma ball into a stream of plasma that hit Matt dead on.

Matt was thrown back by the blast and landed on top of Andrews. "That's a new trick," he said.

"Don't they teach any skills these days?" said the old Man, pulling out an ion blade.

"It's a bit of a lost art," said Matt as he reached for his own ion blade.

The old man laughed as Matt took a swing, easily deflecting it. "Hah...you're not one of the chosen subjects. They all knew how to fight," he said, dodging another.

"No, I kinda got the treatment through accident," said Matt as he blocked another swipe.

"Huh, I expected as much. I would not have put you into the program if I had the choice," said the old man, before easily dodging another slash and hitting Matt at the back of the head with his blade's handle.

However, Dante had gotten back up and had managed to sneak around to the door before making a run for it. Jackie was about to give pursuit when the old man said, "He won't get far..."

…

Dante exited the pyramid as fast as he could. As he ran towards the camp, he suddenly met his men running away from that direction. "What the? I told you to tie up the...never mind...we're leaving...RIGHT NOW!" he said. The men didn't disagree at all and followed their leader as they headed for the shore.

The group made it pretty quickly to the shore to find most of the gear left behind...but no sigh of Dante's men who had been guarding it; though Dante had a horrible feeling the scorch marks might offer a little insight.

The boat was still there, but it was high and dry in the sand. "Maybe we should have listened about what that guy said about the tides," said one of the men.

"Shut up," said Dante, before taking out his flare gun. "Still plenty of our men on the boat. They can send the spare," he said, firing it. A second later, a purple beam lanced out over the treeline and hit the boat's midsection, blowing it to shrapnel.

Dante and his men just stared with open mouths. "Uh, I don't suppose we'll be able to signal a passing ship," said another man.

A smaller beam shot out of the treeline, hitting one of Dante's men in the back. A second later, all that remained was the molten rifle. "Uh, this seems like a pretty good time to panic, right?" said another.

They turned to see that Dante had already gone but that some kind of insectoid machine was coming out of the grass, its eye still glowing from the laser blast...

…

Back at base camp, the gang was starting to get a bit nervous. Things had gotten a lot too quiet, not even the sounds of wildlife could be heard.

"Look, we have to go check the pyramid. If the rest of that bank robber's men are here, he is too," said Chloe.

"I'd normally agree with you, but I'm getting the feeling that this island's a lot more than what it looks like," said Chip.

Chloe was about to say something when one of the insectoid robots that had ambushed Dante's men came into view and intoned, "Halt...you are ordered to comply..."

Morph looked up at it and said, "Ooh, I'm gonna need the big bug spray can for that one."

The machine turned to look at Morph. "Unidentified lifeform, no significant mental activity detected, threat level: zero."

"Hey!" snapped Morph before turning to the others, "What does 'mental activity' mean?"

The machine turned to look at the others before focusing on Chloe, "Shar Khan detected." Chloe looked smug, remembering how the last time they had met Atlantis tech, she and Matt had gotten the VIP treatment before the machine sent, "Arming weapons."

"Uh guys, now would be a good time to run," said Chloe.

The machine immediately firing rapid fire energy bolts at them. The group scattered from the attack. Chip ran up behind the machine and jumped on. "Ok, hacker time," he said.

The droid rotated its torso around and picked up chip in one claw. "Hostile electronic attacker detected..." it said, holding Chip up so he could see his reflection reflected in the droid's single red eye

"As one cyber cyclops to another, I shouldn't do this, but in this case..." said Chip before he punched the droid's optic. The droid didn't seem fazed before it brought its other claw down on Chip's head, sending him into the soft ground like a tent peg "Ooh...such lovely moist ground..." said Chip in a dazed tone.

The droid turned to face Draco coming in at head height and grabbed him. "Hostile melee attack...logging lifeform for data records before summary termination…" it intoned. Contrinus dived down at the droid, trying to blind its optic with bright flares of light. The droid absently swatted her side before a lightning bolt hit it in the back. "Hostile Celestial detected," intoned the droid, tossing Draco aside.

"Uh, guys, I don't think lightning hurts it," said Jade as the droid rounded on her.

"Modifying for Null ammunition," said the droid, the familiar patina of deathstone appearing, only for Chloe to stick her ion blade in its back.

The droid paused before saying, "Reevaluating current threat levels," and then turning around towards Chloe.

Chloe was holding her ion blade. "Ok, you overgrown tin can. Nobody beats up the experiments but us," she said threateningly. The droid charged up its cannon before firing a blast that sent Chloe flying back into a tree. The others winced as Chloe said, "I'm ready to go in, coach," in a dazed voice.

"Uh, any suggestions?" asked Jade.

"Maybe you could throw a blizzard at it," said Kala.

Draco said, "These guys invented unstable time portals. I think they'd remember to invent anti-freeze."

Jade shrugged and said, "It'll at least slow it down for a while," before sending an arctic wind at the drone.

The drone's eye flickered before it said, "Error...temperature below recommended operation levels." Jade heard that and poured on the winter chill, making a small blizzard hit the drone.

The drone made a buzzing noise before starting to whine. Draco said, "Uh oh," before the drone exploded. The others were blow very slightly back by the blast. They weren't hurt, but they did have some soot on them.

Draco said, "Ok...maybe they didn't remember anti-freeze," before coughing out a smoke ring.

"Or maybe it was a drone designed for warmer climates," said Contrinus.

"Who cares? We gotta get to Matt," said Chloe.

Chip had managed to clear his head and pulled himself out of the ground by then. "Uh, what are the chances of there being plenty more drones?" he asked.

"I dunno...why do you ask?" said Chloe. Chip managed to get a hand free and pointed to where a half dozen drones were appearing, one saying "Stand down or face termination."

"Uh, Jade, think you can flash-freeze these guys?" asked Kala.

The drones all turned and fired what turned out to be their own version of blizzard blasts at Jade. "Threat contained," said one.

Morph poked at Jade, who was now frozen in ice. "Ooh, that's cold," he said before putting his tongue on it.

"You will surrender," intoned the lead drone.

Chip was quickly calculating the odds of victory, and they didn't look good. "Uh, guys, I hate to sound like a defeatist, but I don't think we have much choice here."

…

Back at the pyramid, Matt groaned as he came back to the land of the awakened. "Oh...somebody get the name of that planet cracker?" he said. Matt looked around to see he was in, (surprise, surprise), a cell. The other members of the crew were there, including a holo-cloakless Jade. "Ok...let me guess...escape plan went south?" he said

"Well, Dante's goons were easy, but then the drones came," said Chloe.

"Oh...well...stay away from the old guy...he can do plasma control too...and do it better," said Matt.

Chloe groaned and said, "Another Shar-Virk?"

"I dunno...he knows his stuff though," said Matt.

"Great, probably knows how to poke us and make us one-legged for the rest of our lives," said Chloe.

Kala said, "Maybe we could reason with him?" before rubbing a bruise on her head. Her old experiment habits had kicked in...and the bots that had captured them had kicked back.

"I tried that, but I think he was a bit too upset about the whole breaking and entering thing," said Matt.

"Indeed I was. I came here to get away from the Empire's politics," said a voice at the door. The three of them spun around to see the 'master of the house'.

"How long have you been standing there?" asked Matt.

"Long enough to know you're both from the Empire, though it's unusual for them to give my work to private soldiers," said the man, walking forward and a tone of annoyance in his voice.

"What do you mean your work?" asked Kala. It was the man's turn to look surprised at that.

"I think this guy had something to do with the Shar-Khan project or something," said Matt.

"Had something to do with it?" said the man with a nasty glint of anger before he said, "I MADE IT!"

"But that was eons ago," said Chloe, "You should have been dust."

"Uh, Chloe, so would Taleth and his crew, remember?" said Matt.

"Oh yeah," said Chloe.

"Taleth? There is a name I haven't heard for a long, long time. I assume you mean, Warmaster Taleth," said the man, calming down a bit.

"I prefer 'Slimy Creep Taleth'," said Matt.

"I prefer 'Traitor' and 'Failure'," said the man, before walking up and looking at Matt's eyes closely. "Hmm...stage 4 genetic indoctrination. I'm not surprised the Council didn't continue the upgrades though," he said to himself.

"Uh, I'm afraid the Council hasn't been in power for quite some time," said Chloe.

"No, I suppose not. They evaporated with the rest of Atlantis when Taleth...had his little episode," said the man dismissively.

"Well, that and said event happened about 100,000 years ago," said Matt, "Give or take a couple centuries."

"I expected that. I only wake up every couple of centuries," said the man, now with a bored tone.

"What have you been doing all those ages?" asked Kala.

"Trying to fix what the Ashen did to my upgrade," said the man.

"The who?" asked Kala.

"Huh...some of my less-enlightened colleagues called them the 'Dark Ones'. Foolish thinking," said the man, waving a hand dismissively

"Wait a sec, the Dark Ones messed with the Shar-Khan program?" asked Matt.

"Yes...the Avalar program failed to catch the stragglers...and they wanted...what's the popular word? 'Payback' I believe," said the man before making a squeaking noise and making Chloe yelp. "Stop trying to pick the lock or I will boil you from the inside out, dear," he said.

"Can't blame a girl for trying," said Chloe.

"I believe I can. You are obviously...primitives who somehow got Shar-Khan nanites. By rights, I should kill you all for trespassing," said the man darkly, his eyes glowing.

"Now, no need to be brutal," said Matt, "You can just let us go and we'll go away and never come back."

"Uh, actually, his drones blew up the boat," said Chloe.

"Oh, you are NOT leaving...not yet. I have use of you," said the man, turning away.

"I've got a really bad feeling about the last part," said Kala.

"It's nothing much. I already have the Shar-Virk upgrade, the prototype at least...and I have developed a new one, incorruptible...but I need test subjects," said the man.

"Uh, sorry, I got a note from my doctor," said Matt, "No Guinea pigging for strange genetic tests. And I'd rather not-"

The doctor turned and sent a blast of null plasma into Matt's chest, knocking him backwards. "I am the only doctor whose authority means anything here," said the man, "And I advise that you keep your respect to me or the process may become needlessly more painful."

Kala was shrieking and shaking Matt, who was comatose with a nasty scorch on his chest while Chloe said, "ARE YOU CRAZY?"

The 'doctor' seemed thoughtful at that before saying, "I suppose I must be. The new upgrades will easily heal that wound, so I suppose the choice is yours: you all agree to the treatment or nobody gets it...and your dying friend will be the last one."

Chloe would have thrown every profane word she knew at the scientist. However, Matt's condition made it very clear that they had no choice. "Fine," she said, "But you will pay for this."

"I doubt it," said the man, walking out as two of the insectoid bots stomped in.

"Please tell me you have a plan," said Kala.

"When I've thought of one, I'll let you know," said Chloe.

The bots deactivated the cell field and grabbed Chloe, unceremoniously dragging her out the cell. "Wait, take Matt first," said Chloe, "He needs to be healed."

The bot looked at her coldly. "Prime unit commands that he is the last one to receive treatment," it said

"Take all of this then," said Chloe, "There's enough of you drones to handle us."

"Negative...95% possibility of hostile actions in group," said the drone.

Chloe glared and said, "Then how about I put 95% of my foot up your..."

The drone sent a charge through the arm holding Chloe, making her yelp. "We are authorized to incapacitate...comply at once," said the drone coldly.

"I'm an electric dragon, you bucket of bolts," said Chloe, "I drain your battery cells dry."

The bot looked at her. "Information noted," before its claw began to glow cherry red.

"Ow! OW! OW! Ok, ok, I'll come along quietly, just stop!" cried Chloe as the heat burned her.

The bot dragged her out, Chloe managing one look to see Kala putting Matt on the cell's cot.

...

Jade, however was not as comfy, 6 drones surrounding the force shield cell she was in while their master peered at her. "Well, well...I never expected to see your kind again anytime soon," he said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean 'my kind'?" asked Jade.

"Celestials, of cour...well, I wondered if they ever bothered to implement that ark device," said the man, a cold smirk on his face.

"You mean this thing?" asked Jade, pointing at the Xian Vang necklace.

"So that's what they used," said the man, peering closely at it.

Jade squirmed back a bit. She didn't like the way this guy was looking at her. The man seemed to sense the discomfort and said, without looking up, "You're not my type...and I'm several centuries older them you."

"Uh, yeah, sure," said Jade, "So, you think you can let me out now?"

"I don't think so, young lady. I will not tolerate trespassers...not even from the Celestial order," said the man, a cruel tone seeping into his voice.

"Well, you need to keep a 'Do not trespass' sign around," said Jade, "How's anyone supposed to know this island's private property?"

"Oh...I usually have the drones tear trespassers to ribbons and send them back on their vessels...so much easier to let fear do the work," said the man, darkly.

"Geeze, no wonder you live alone," said Jade.

"I prefer my privacy. It allows me to work on my project during the years I am awake," said the man.

"Somebody has too much free time on their hands," said Jade.

"The penalty of a dragon's lifespan," said the man before looking at her, "You no doubt know of your companions'...special properties. Did you know that they are ticking time bombs?"

"Well, Morph does get pretty wound up when he eats too many sweets, but 'time bomb' might be a bit strong," said Jade.

"I don't mean those...genetic toys. I refer to the Shar-Khan in your group," said the man, harshly.

"They're not that bad," said Jade, "Ok, they might have a bit of a temper, particularly Matt when it involves his ship."

"That is the tip of the nebula. The nanites in their blood are faulty. They will eventually remove every strand of humanity from them," said the man, making a hologram appear, showing what looked like insects floating over to cells and pulling strands out while others pushed a replacement in

"They never brought that up," said Jade.

"That's because they probably do not know...or they have accepted it. They're wearing Avalarian mind pendants, meaning they have met other Shar-Khan, who probably told them of their fate," said the man, making the hologram vanish.

"Uh, you lost me after the 'accepted' part," said Jade.

"Primitive...needless to say, this dimension provided me with perfect genetic materials to fix the problem," said the man, smirking.

"Wait a sec," said Jade, "I'm not being anyone's bacteria culture."

"Oh, I have the DNA I needed millennia ago. I just needed Shar-Khan to test it on," said the man, with a smirk before nodding to a bot who held up a small jar, containing what looked like a flame that shot angrily around inside its prison.

"What's that?" asked Jade.

"An elemental, they lived in the lava underneath the island. Once I modified the drones to capture one, it was so much easier to capture other types," said the man.

"That's an elemental?" asked Jade, "I thought they'd be bigger and, well, tougher-looking."

"Oh, I've drained this for today's test." said the man, dismissively.

"Didn't think you had that much mojo power," said Jade.

"It's not for me..." said the man as the drones escorting Chloe arrived. "Ah...Miss Lynch, is it? I'm so glad you agreed to help." he said, cheerfully.

Chloe glared and said, "You are so going to be sorry as soon as I get free."

"Yes, yes, Ballan clan revenge oath, blah, blah, blah," said the man, nodding to the drone which pushed Chloe onto a plinth that quickly deployed an energy field around her.

"Ballan what?" asked Jade.

"Never you mind," said the scientist, "It's unimportant."

Chloe looked up at Jade before she banged on the field, yelling something in a muffled voice. The man sighed. "The genetic toys are perfectly fine," he said annoyed.

He clicked on a series of monitors, each showing the experiments being held by a different holding chamber. Chip was hooked up with wires virtually everywhere, Contrinus was hooked up to a wheel-like device, Draco was strapped down to a table with metal bonds, and Morph...was running around in what looked like a hi-tech hamster wheel.

Jade looked confused. "Ok...even for Morph, that's dumb," she said after a bit.

The man sighed and said, "That is true, but it keeps him occupied."

"This is fun," said Morph over the monitor.

The man looked at Jade with a 'see what I mean?' expression before clapping his hands together. "Oh, well. Science waits for no man," he said enthusiastically and walking over to a control panel.

He tapped on the keys before saying, "Voice recognition lock disengage."

The computer beeped before saying, "Dr. Alayshia confirmed."

"Begin Shar-Ekta upgrade procedure, electrical version." The man, Dr. Alayshia, turned to look at Chloe with a cruel grin. "You may feel a slight...pinch," he said before engaging the system.

Suddenly, clamps extended on rods and grasped Chloe's ankles and wrists. Then it suddenly felt like she was being struck by lightning and she could not redirect. If the energy field wasn't dampening it, her screams would be quite piercing.

Jade could only watch as Chloe screamed herself hoarse before the computer said, "Nanotech upgraded to program: Shar-Ekta," and Chloe slumped to the floor, unconscious.

"Excellent," said Alayshia, "Monitor biological stats for changes."

"Scanning...warning...molecular structure is 21% unstable...unable to identify cause," said the computer.

Alayshia said happily, "Perfectly acceptable. Place subject in secure holding cell and bring out the second female." The drone nodded and picked Chloe up, easily hauling her off.

"You have no idea who you're messing with," said Jade.

"Yes...I do. The Xian Vang necklace is keyed to only one bloodline. And as for these Shar khan..." said Alayshia, before transforming his hand to draconic claws. "...let's just say I'm on equal footings."

Just then, the drone brought in Matt. Alayshia looked annoyed. "I thought I made it clear that the male will be the last treated," he said.

"Subject is approximately 1.17 minutes from expiring," said the drone, "Immediate treatment is required or subject will terminate."

Alayshia sighed before saying, "Fine...prepare him for treatment."

The drone placed Matt on the plinth while Alayshia said to the computer, "Begin Shar-Ekta upgrade procedure, plasma version."

"Danger...Subject lifesigns within danger levels...override code required from senior medical," said the computer.

"Override code RA-72491," said Alayshia.

The computer beeped before saying, "Override code accepted."

Jade had to cover her eyes as the plinths energy field blazed blindingly bright as plasma flooded it. "Warning...lifesigns failing...uploading program and switching nanites to life support mode," said the computer.

Alayshia sighed and said, "Perhaps I should not have blasted him with null plasma. No matter, the nanites are capable of finishing it by themselves."

The drone picked Matt up before stomping out. The computer beeped, "Alert...breach in brig. Human prisoners are loose."

…

Alayshia had made a great mistake in assuming the humans were all the same. Otherwise, he wouldn't have put Jackie in a regular cell.

Darren was Jackie's cell mate and was moping at the back as Jackie looked around the cell. "There's no way out," he moaned as Jackie did another circuit.

"There must be some way," said Jackie, "Some flaw that we could use."

"Huh...and what would we do if you got out? The boat's gone...and those psychotic robo insects are out there...and that...freak," said Darren, bitterly

"We'll need to get the others out too," said Jackie, "We need as much help as we can get."

"What? We should just get out of here ourselves and leave those things here." said Darren.

Jackie turned to Darren and said, "I can't believe you'd just abandon your teammates like that."

"Those 'teammates' tried to kill us and that...reptile pretending to be your assistant probably helped..." began Darren.

"Excuse me?" asked Jackie.

"Your assistant was some kind of...dragon..." said Darren, sounding like he wasn't believing himself.

Jackie quickly put two and two together. "Jade," he said to himself.

"Yes...that was the color she was...she probably helped set this up," said Darren, before saying with disgust, "I can't believe I had a crush on that monster."

"Trust me, she isn't your type," said Jackie.

"I hope those things take her apart." said Darren angrily.

"She doesn't- Oh, never mind, we're wasting our time," said Jackie as he tried to find a way out.

"There's no way out, you idiot," said Darren, nastily before getting up, revealing he'd been sitting in front of an air vent.

"Actually, I think you just found a way out," said Jackie.

Darren looked skeptical. "Huh...and where is that?" he said annoyed.

"Through there," said Jackie, pointing at the air vent.

Darren looked at it. "You expect me to go into there?" he said.

"Fine, you can just wait in here and wait for the robot insects to come back," said Jackie.

Darren blanched and looked at the vent. "After you," he said weakly.

"I thought so," said Jackie before removing the vent cover and climbing inside.

Darren shuddered before following.

…

Alayshia was looking as the semi-conscious Kala was dragged back to her cell before looking at Jade. "You don't approve?" he said turning away again

"Approve of you giving people genetic surgery with untested technology?" said Jade, "Didn't you have some Hippocratic oath or something in your time?"

"Never heard of it," said Alayshia, dismissively and looking at a readout.

"Oh right, you've been sleeping on and off for centuries," said Jade, "But aren't you supposed to be using your medical skills for good or something?"

"I did. I used them to make devices to save my people...and eventually my greatest creation destroyed them," said Alayshia, coldly.

Before Jade could question what he meant, the computer suddenly flashed something up the screen. Alayshia studied it and said, "Very interesting."

"What?" asked Jade.

"It seems our last volunteer wasn't originally human...or a Shar-Khan. Clever boy, Taleth," Alayshia said to himself.

"You mean that Kala is an alien," said Jade.

"She was...until someone infused her with the V2 version of the Shar nanotech. It completely overwrote her original DNA structure," said Alayshia.

"So, what is she now?" asked Jade.

"Human...or a close enough equivalent," said Alayshia in an interested voice.

Just then, the computer said, "Prisoner escapees detected within ventilation system."

Alayshia walked over to a control panel with a sigh and called up a view of a vent. "Oh...two of the primitives have escaped," he said in a bored tone before turning on a view, "Computer...find them, pacify them and take them back to their cell."

…

Around that time, Matt was finally coming back around. However, his body felt like someone ran over it with a fiery steamroller.

"Uuuurgh...what hit me?" he said weakly.

"That quack's experiment," said Chloe, "Don't move too much, you're still healing."

"Damn...last thing I remember, I was about to give him a piece of my mind," said Matt, pushing himself up before seeing that Chloe looked just as unwell. "Stuff that, what happened to you?" he said

"Same thing as you," said Chloe, "Felt like I was being rearranged on the molecular level. Which is probably what happened."

"Oh goody, just my luck...wait... Where's Kala?" said Matt, worry coming into his tone as he spotted the missing member of the trio.

"She...went right after you," said Chloe.

"No...NO!" said Matt, yelling the last part. Chloe turned to see the bots pulling Kala in, in an unconscious state.

"Well, the good news is she's already back," said Chloe.

Kala was whimpering as the bots dropped her in the cell and left as well as gibbering quietly in Tantalog. Matt tried to get off the cot but a pain in his gut stopped him. "I told you not to move," said Chloe.

Matt glared and tried to get up again. "I've got to...Gnnngh," he began, wincing from pain again.

"No, you don't have to. I can move better than you can," said Chloe as she went over to Kala. Kala was in the fetal position gibbering even more in Tantalog. "Kala, Kala, it's ok," said Chloe, "You're safe now. No one's going to harm you."

Kala opened her eyes and Chloe jumped back for a second. Kala's eyes were glowing orange, though as Chloe watched the glow faded. Kala panted and said, "I feel so...hot."

Chloe walked up to her and put a hand on her arm before recoiling. Kala didn't just feel hot. She was...boiling hot judging from the burn now on Chloe's hand.

Kala coughed and gasped, "Water...need...water..."

Chloe ran to the dispenser in the cell and got some before passing it to Kala who hungrily gulped it down.

The disturbing part was that Kala was so anxious to get the cool liquid down that some of it splashed onto her face and it evaporated almost instantly.

After a minute though, Kala seemed to cool down but she still looked like she was about to be sick. Matt in comparison looked furious. "I'm gonna kill that guy," he said angrily.

"Matt, this is no time to lose your temper," said Chloe.

Matte glared "Oh? What if that was Bernsoka there? What then?" he yelled and was knocked back as Chloe slapped him.

"Don't you dare bring that up!" snapped Chloe, "I got zapped in there too. How do you think I feel?" Matt glared darkly but didn't reply only for Chloe to say "You don't get to mention him again..."

"Who's Bernsoka?" asked Kala.

Chloe spun around only for Matt to say, "Take it easy. She wasn't there."

Chloe sighed and said, "It...doesn't matter," sadly before looking around as some kind of alarm rang and a hologram of Alayshia appeared.

"Just thought I'd check in. Don't be alarmed, some of your companions escaped. The drones have been told to make things quick," said Alayshia.

Matt glared at the hologram and said, "When I get my hands on you, I'm gonna tear you in half."

Alayshia smirked amused, "I don't think so. I still have need of you. I need to get up to date on the state of the Empire if I am to return with my project."

"I'm afraid you'll be sorely disappointed," said Chloe, "The Atlantean Empire's only ruins and relics now. The only empire around is being run by a space rodent with a Napoleon complex."

"Oh...that. The ship hijacked some transmissions referring to that. The Empire is not easily defeated. It is still there, the ark worlds will be still active," said Alayshia, dismissively.

"What ark worlds?" asked Chloe.

"That is no business of yours. Once my tests are complete, I will power up the ship and you'll find out first hand," said Alayshia, grinning evilly.

"Hey, we're not going anywhere with you," said Matt, "Not just because we don't want to be dragged along on a millennium-old voyage and the lousy treatment we've been given, but my girlfriend has a record-breaking fever."

"That's just the nanites adapting her DNA. It will pass in a few minutes. I'm sure the Council will be suspicious as to how primitives got access to weaponized nanotech," said Alayshia

"Well, you can tell them because we're not staying here," said Matt.

"And how will you get out in, how do you measure time? 30 minutes?" said Alayshia.

On cue a voice said, "Powering up main sublight engines. 30 microns to launch."

"Easy, I'll blast the walls till I get outside," said Matt before pointing a hand at the wall and preparing to make a new door.

Alayshia said conversationally, "That won't work. Your nanites are re-purposing your DNA. For now, you're human." Matt glared and tried to send a plasma bolt into the wall, only for just a few sparks to fall out his palm. "Like I said, your powers are currently in what you might call reset mode," said Alayshia, "They will be restored eventually. But even then, these cells have been designed to hold a fully-grown dragon of nearly any species."

"I bet not all," said Chloe to herself as Alayshia turned off the hologram.

The ship voice said, "25 microns to launch."

The drones at the door suddenly turned to look at a square hole in the ceiling. "What are they looking at?" asked Matt before suddenly Darren fell through and just narrowly missed landing on Kala. "Oh, him," said Matt darkly as Darren got up unsteadily and was face to face with the two drones aiming at his face.

"Escapee located. Preparing to neutralize," said one of the drones.

"Have mercy!" screamed Darren.

"Program: Mercy not recognized," said another drone before Jackie landed on its shoulder. "Danger...drone 57 under attack," it chimed, flailing to get Jackie off while the other aimed at him. Jackie noticed the other drone aiming and jumped off behind the drone he was on. The second drone had already initiated its firing sequence and could not abort it.

The blast, therefore, shot out and decapitated the first drone neatly, causing it to spontaneously fire back, blowing the other drone apart. Matt, Chloe and Kala just stared open mouthed. "Wow..." said Matt after a minute.

"Sometimes the best way to defeat a swords master is with his own sword," said Jackie.

"Ok...I'm impressed that you took out two Atlantean war drones...but no more Zen rubbish...GET US OUTTA HERE!" Matt said in an annoyed tone, screaming the last part.

"Oh, right," said Jackie before looking at the cell's lock, "Uh, how am I supposed to do that?"

Darren said angrily, "Huh...How can we get you out?" kicking one of the destroyed drone and yelping as it fired, the shot bouncing around before melting the lock.

Chloe walked out first, saying, "Thanks, jerk boy," to Darren, who was rigid with terror.

Matt picked up Kala before walking out. "Ok, we need to find the others and get out of here," he said, "This place is going to lift off in 25 minutes."

"Launch in 20 microns," said the ship's voice.

Kala said weakly, "Jade...can't...leave her."

"Uh, she's delirious," said Matt, "Massive fever, frying her common sense."

"I know about Jade," said Jackie, "Apparently she gave her suitor quite a fright." He pointed one hand towards Darren.

Darren snapped out of it at Jade's name. "No...I am your employer for now with the professor unconscious. We are getting the professor and leaving that creature behi..." he yelled, only to be floored by Matt.

"Ok, get this through your tiny skull," said Matt, "You are currently in a spaceship that's preparing to leave the solar system. You haven't the slightest clue as to how this thing is designed, who's in command of it, or what it's fully capable of. So keep your mouth shut and follow along before we leave you behind."

Darren managed to regain some of his attitude, despite Matt's glare. "How...DARE YOU? As soon as we get back to the U.S I am having you arrested..." he began only for Matt to pick him up, in one hand, a worrying glow coming into his eyes.

"I'm not from the US," said Matt, "As a matter of fact, I'm not from this planet. Think you've got any authority over me?"

Darren whimpered as Matt smirked, showing off teeth that were alot sharper then they should have been. "Boo," said Matt after a second.

Darren gave a yelp of fright before passing out. "Great, now we've got another limp body to drag around," said Chloe.

Kala managed to push herself to her feet. "Actually...I'm feeling much better now," she said.

"You sure about that?" asked Matt.

Kala took a few steps and shook her head before smiling, "I feel fine. In fact, I've never felt better."

The ship suddenly said, "Alert. Subjects escaping containment...lethal force authorized."

"Great, cause it looks like we'll have to run," said Chloe.

Meanwhile, the professor had woken up with a headache. "Urgh...Darren...professor Chan...where the hell is everyone?" he called before he spotted several people run by the doorway.

"Hey! Come back here!" he shouted.

One of Chan's assistants, a red haired woman, backpedalled to look in. "Professor. Wondered where you were," she said, ducking in before grabbing the cell door and wrenching it open, despite the lock.

"How did-" he started before she said, "No time, we've got to get out of here. Unless you want to leave this galaxy."

The professor stared blankly. "Let's just get out of here, young lady," he said before following his rescuer out the room.

...

Alayshia didn't look worried as he tracked the escapees, much to Jade's worry. In fact, he looked happy.

"Well, now will be an excellent time to test their combat capabilities," said Alayshia.

Jade smirked from her containment cell and said, "Hah...they'll kick your butt."

Alayshia turned to look at her with a gaze that made her want to take a step back. "Oh...I don't think so," he said before the door into the lab was blown inwards. "Took you long enough," he called.

Matt walked in and said, "Ok, you mad scientist, let everybody go and I might leave you an arm still attached."

Alayshia sneered. "Oh, please. Is that the best you have?" he said

"I'm about to find out," said Matt as he tried to get plasma orbs in his hands.

Alayshia smirked as nothing happened before saying, "Pathetic," and throwing a one-two plasma orb punch into Matt's chest. Matt was thrown back by the assault. "You're out of your league, boy," said Alayshia, "I've had centuries to hone my powers."

"Yeah, yeah, Taleth says that too but I can still beat him," said Matt.

"Taleth? He's an amateur. I MADE the nanites in your body," said Alayshia, before easily blocking a bolt of lightning from Chloe. "Try again?" he taunted.

Chloe's arms were crackling with electricity. "Oh, you know I will," she said before firing again.

Alayshia blocked the blasts one-handed before sending a wave of translucent energy out like a shotgun blast that lifted Chloe off her feet. "You need to be more serious in your work," said Alayshia, "Put actual force in your attacks."

Chloe practically roared and charged Alayshia, who dodged sideways and held out his arm at chest height, knocking Chloe senseless. "Please, you're supposed to be my latest model and this is how you perform?" said Alayshia, "It's embarrassing." Kala glared and spat a fireball into Alayshia's back, knocking him over a catwalk.

"Nice shot, Kala," said Matt.

"That won't keep him down for long, will it?" said Kala.

Matt said, "You got him right in the back. Like to see him fly up from that," before looking at Jade's cell. "Hi, Jade. How's it hanging?" he said cheerfully.

"Not bad, but I'd like to get out now," said Jade.

Matt looked round before picking up the ion staff Alayshia and dropped and turning it on. "When in doubt," he said and sliced through the controls next to the cell.

The controls sparked before the cell opened up. Jade walked out and said, "Nice to be free again."

A deep voice said, "That is my ion staff," and the group turned as a very large angry-looking dragon with fangs that overlapped its mouth, flapped into view.

Matt looked at the dragon and said, "I don't recall any dragons on Avalar looking like that. Come to think of it, I don't think I've seen any other plasma dragons."

"Who said I got my nanites program template from Avalar?" said the dragon, before spitting a burst of blue flame at the gang.

They quickly scattered to get out of the way. "I thought you said we were the first to get this treatment," said Chloe.

"I said you were the first Shar-Khan to get the treatment," said the dragon, who was clearly Alayshia, using his alternate form.

"Seems like a critical success to me," said Matt.

"True, but as a scientist, I must repeat experiments to be absolutely sure," said Alayshia, "And this is the next test," before blasting Matt with more plasma flames.

"MATT!" screamed the girls as Matt was apparently engulfed in the inferno.

For a second it looked like Matt was toast before the flames seemed to be sucked up into a shape in the flame before vanishing to reveal a cross eyed Matt. "That's...new," he said unsteadily.

"Ah, success," said Alayshia.

"I hate science," said Matt, annoyed before managing to ignite a plasma orb and throwing it into a set of piping over Alayshia's head. Alayshia's dragon form's size meant that he was unable to dodge the falling debris and he vanished from sight again.

"Think he'll stay down this time?" asked Jade.

"Probably not, but probably long enough," said Matt.

"10 microns to launch." said the ship computer calmly.

"Time to go," said Chloe, urgently.

"Right, where're the experiments?" asked Kala.

Matt looked at the controls and found a readout that showed the experiments, as well as a selection entitled in Atlantean 'Eject section?' "Hmm, let's see what this does," said Matt, activating the command.

...

Outside, a section of the island suddenly rumbled before exploding upwards shooting four screaming figures into the sky before having them land near the beach, one saying "LET'S GO AGAIN!"

...

Matt blinked and said, "That worked well. Who else here needs the express ride out?" A crash from below and a roar decided it. "Never mind...LEG IT!" yelled Matt

"What about Dante and his men?" asked Kala.

Matt paused for a second and asked, "You actually care about what happens to them?"

Kala paused and said, "Uh, no, not really, let's go."

…

Shortly afterwards, they were running out of the pyramid. "Uh, not that I'm complaining, but did that seem too easy?" asked Matt.

Chloe glared, Darren slung over her shoulder. "Just keep running," she said angrily before they ran out onto the beach to see no boat. "That's why," she said.

"Well that's great," said Jade, "How are we supposed to get off this island."

"I guess we start swimming," said Kala.

Matt's imagination engaged at that point, supplying an image of him swimming through the water, chased by half a dozen shark fins. "Urm...No...let's not do that," he said.

"But how else can we go?" asked Jackie.

A foghorn was heard at that point and an older-looking boat sailed into view, standing on its front was "Oh...you gotta be kidding me...MORPH...WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" yelled Matt.

Morph yelled, "I'M KING OF THE..." before he fell into the water.

Chloe laughed and said, "Now I remember why we bring him along."

"We still shoulda left the little moron," said Matt darkly as several shark fins converged on Morph.

"Oh look, fishies," said Morph before suddenly the water started frothing around him. "YOW! Bad fishies! Bad fishies!" yelped Morph.

"Quick...let's go before the sharks finish," said Matt, manically.

"Hang on, I'll fish him out," said Draco before casting down a fishing line. He reeled it in to pull up Morph, along with one shark that wouldn't let go of Morph's tail.

The ground began to shake before Matt could say anything and everyone turned to see that the pyramid seemed to be rising over the rooftop, an orange glow that probably meant lava showing from various parts of the island and cracks appearing in the ground.

"Uh, will this island be able to stay together when that ship leaves?" asked Jackie.

"Judging from the cracks...no," said Matt, simply before wading into the water and swimming for the boat.

"Matt! Wait! There are still sharks there!" called Kala.

"I'm more worried about that!" yelled Matt, pointing to where lava was flowing out of the cracks.

"Fair point," said Kala, "Hang on, I think I may be able to slow it down." She walked close to one of the cracks and held out her hands.

Chloe grabbed Kala and pushed her back. "Are you nuts? Not even dragons can take lava baths...MOVE!" she yelled at Kala as the forest began to be pushed upwards by something underground. Alayshia's ship apparently spread under the entire island.

"Right, all aboard!" shouted Chip.

Matt climbed up before pulling Chloe and Kala up. The professor, Jackie, and Darren were not far behind. It was just in time too as the island crumbled, a huge ship lifting up from its ruined foxhole with a steady humming noise.

"Uh, are we far enough away to avoid being burnt by the exhaust from the engines?" asked Contrinus.

"Erm...we should be," said Matt, in the tone of voice that caused the Professor and Darren to fight to get under a tarpaulin. The underside of the ship suddenly glowed before the vessel shot skywards at impossible speed, the shockwave knocking everyone over and causing the water to bubble for a second.

After a bit, Jade got back up and said, "Whoa, talk about an express flight."

"I hope we never see that guy again," said Matt, weakly before leaning over the side.

Chloe sighed. "He can pull triple loop-de-loops backwards and not even turn green...but one wave and its barf city," she said

Jackie turned to Jade and said, "Jade, you have some explaining to do. And I'm sure you're not the only one."

...

Dante was holding onto a badly-charred piece of wood. "Why? Why do I have to bump into that freak? First it's at the bank, now it's in the middle of nowhere. Can't a thief get a break?" he moaned to himself.

Things were not looking well for him. Well, the killer robots weren't there, but he was in the middle of the ocean clinging to a piece of wood.

He was about to continue swimming when he heard what sounded like a jet. "Wow...I musta drifted far if the coast guard are nearby," he muttered, before looking for the flare gun he'd grabbed in the few seconds he'd had before jumping off the doomed boat.

Fortunately, he had managed to keep the gun out of the water and was able to pop a flare up into the sky. He was shocked when the flare bounced off something invisible. "Oh, crap. Not more of them," Dante moaned as a shape materialized before it made a wide U turn and came back, a searchlight bursting into life on its nosecone. "Great, I'm probably going to get probed," he said.

The vessel spun and a ramp lowered, six figures holding lethal-looking weaponry aiming at him. "Yeah...probe time," muttered Dante to himself before two of them grabbed him and hauled him into the ship.

A voice said, "Jonathan Dante...wanted by Interpol, NSA, FBI, CIA and Section 13...quite a list."

"Let me guess, you want to haul me in for the reward," said Dante.

"No...I wanna offer you a job. You see, I have a feeling you know why our orbital sensors all went crazy around this area...and why an island has just vanished off the map," said the voice

"If you mean the psycho who just blasted off in his spaceship, yeah," said Dante.

"Ah...I understand from the records of your vessel at its last docking that you met a 'Captain Lynch'," said the voice conversationally.

"Lynch? That lizard freak in a human suit? Yeah, I met him," said Dante.

"Ah...well, you see. I have a feeling he'll be a problem in future. So I might need someone to...retire him and his team. Want the job?" said the voice with an evil tone.

"Taking Lynch down for good?" asked Dante with a smile, "Where do I sign?"

...

2 days later...

Matt was sure that his ear had gone numb. Uncle had not been a happy bunny once he had learnt that Jade had slipped off and Matt, as the person who had supplied the holocloak, had been the target of his wrath. Not to mention getting an earful from Jackie about allowing Jade to come along on the voyage in the first place. And then Chloe added her two bits about how expensive the holocloaks were.

Matt, in his defense, had been yelled at by so many people over his career that he had mastered the process of looking like he was listening when he was really listening to the music in his head.

Of course, Matt still had a bit of a headache from the prolonged scolding. This was why he was at Section 13's canteen and sampling the beer they had to offer.

Kala wandered in to see Matt drinking. "You know, that's just gonna make that headache worse," she said amused.

Matt said gloomily, "I've drank water stronger than this. I've definitely drank kr'ta stronger than this."

"Aren't you worried about your liver?" asked Kala.

"I'm pretty sure I've confirmed by now that dragons have indestructible livers," said Matt.

Kala picked up one of the half-empty cans, shrugged and drank a bit before spitting it out. "Humans drink this? I think I'll stick to coffee."

Matt chuckled, "It is an acquired taste."

Kala grabbed some water to wash out the taste. After she was done, she said to Matt, "You know it wasn't your fault. No one could have predicted that."

"Huh...back when I was at the top of my game, I woulda triple checked that crew. Instead they almost killed us," said Matt, darkly.

Kala scoffed and said, "We barely took three minutes in kicking their butts. I hardly think they were that much of a threat."

"Huh...you shouldn't have even had too...if I lost you..." said Matt, gloomily

"Matt, I'm here to stay, don't ever doubt that," said Kala.

Matt said, "When I saw you ill...after that creep did whatever he did to you..."

"You should have seen the way you looked before," said Kala.

"I know...Chloe has been reminding me for the last 2 days," said Matt, darkly, looking at his beer.

"Hey, we all made it out alright," said Kala.

Matt looked doubtful. "I dunno, we still don't know what Alayshia did to us. You heard him. He made us what we are today," he said.

"Well, I know what will make you feel better," said Kala, a twinkle appearing in her eyes, "How about we go somewhere quiet and I can show you what I'm made of."

Matt began to grin before said grin froze in place as he remembered the 'evidence' that Jade used to get the cloak. "Uh, let's take a rain check on that," he said.

"Aw, why not?" asked Kala in a disappointed tone.

Matt eyed one closet nearby that had the door cracked open. He slowly got up and approached the door. "Because the walls have ears...and eyes!" he said, flinging open the door with the last part.

Instead of Jade, he found Chip with a tape recorder. "Actually, just one eye," said Chip.

Matt picked up chip by the top of the head and grinned. "You know what I'm about to do...don't you?" he said evilly.

"Matt, it's just scientific investigation," said Chip, "I'm sure Alayshia would have studied you and Kala's mating behavior at some point as well."

Matt glared and said darkly, "You know what happens when someone presses the bottom and the top of a cola can together?"

"You wouldn't do something that crude, would you?" asked Chip.

"Hmm...good point," said Matt thoughtfully.

Kala said evilly, "We do need to practice our stun blasts."

"Now, now, I'm sure there's a non-violent way to resolve this," said Chip.

Matt and Kala loomed at each other before saying, "Naah!" and readying blasts.

"The price we scientists must pay for our research," said Chip with a sigh.

...

Chloe was heading to the canteen to get a drink when she saw flashes of light coming from there.

"Hmm, wonder who's shooting it up in there this time," she said before opening the door.

She almost got a blast up the nose. When she ducked back in, she saw Chip evading several blasts from Kala and Matt.

"Huh, would have expected them to be shooting at Morph," said Chloe. Chloe watched for a minute more before shrugging and wandering off to get a drink elsewhere.

* * *

Another chapter up at last. I apologize for taking so long to update, but I've been caught up with several other things, including schoolwork. Anyways, this chapter sets up quite a few things for future stories. You can expect to hear more of Dr. Alayshia, the Shar-Ekta upgrade, and Dante's new job at some point, but probably not all in the rest of the story. For those who are confused about the title of this chapter, Ouroboros is the symbolic serpent swallowing its own tale, which is a universal symbol of neverending cycles, returning to beginnings, and other such things. This chapter spins away from Jackie Chan Adventures a bit, but the next chapter will highly focused on the show. What will it be? You'll be finding next time. And next time is definitely going to be sooner than this time. Stay tuned and please review.


	14. Twilight Breaking

**Voyagers Saga**

**Null Chi**

**Chapter 14: Twilight Breaking**

As Matt well knows, one can't so many adventures without picking several interesting souvenirs along the way. The shelves in his cargo hold are pure proof of that. They ranged from an unusual gem that Draco was sure was some kind of magi photo...but had been twisted up by Matt when he'd tried to look, to a Digivice and of course, the remains of the gem from NYC.

Of course, every now and then, it's nice to look at another adventurer's collection of souvenirs, such as what the gang was doing with the Chans right now.

Matt had spotted a more unusual selection. "A CD? Not exactly magical." he said.

"CD not important, mirror spirit trapped within CD is," said Uncle.

Matt immediately was suddenly across the room from the CD. "Ok...not going near it," he said, worriedly.

"Bit of an odd place for a mirror spirit," said Chip, examining the CD.

Draco looked at said CD with him. "That's not the weirdest. There's a makeup mirror over there," he said.

"They had to be reflective items and we didn't have much on hand at the time," said Jackie.

"So...what did happen with those guys?" said Kala, looking at what looked like a necklace.

"They were imprisoned in a mirror in Mi Shan temple. They should have stayed there, but someone was too stubborn to listen to Uncle," said Uncle, looking accusingly at Jade.

Jade made a snorting noise. "At least we got some peace and quiet from 'one more thing'," she said, under her breath. Matt covered his mouth to stop himself smirking

"Well, I would rather have everything return to normal-" started Kala when suddenly the necklace she was holding flashed and she and it disappeared.

Everyone stared for a minute before Matt walked over to the box the necklace had been in and read the label. "Eye of Aurora, Egyptian, allows user to teleport to any spot on Earth in the blink of an eye," read Matt. Chloe was counting under her breath and got to 5 before Matt started to giggle aimlessly. "So...this coulda sent her anywhere...right?" he said in a shaking voice. Just then, Matt's communicator rang. He answered and asked, "Hello?"

"Matt, how did I get here?" asked Kala's voice.

"Where are you?" asked Matt.

"My GPS says I'm in Normal, Illinois," said Kala.

Matt blinked. "That's nice, dear...hehe..." he said in a faint voice.

Jade took Matt's communicator and said, "Kala, say 'return to Matt's side'. Trust me."

"Erm...if that'll work...erm...is his eye twitching?" said Kala a little nervously.

Jade looked to see Matt's eye almost closed from the nervous tic it had. "Erm...I'd say so," she said.

"Ok, return to Matt's side," said Kala's voice before suddenly there was a flash and Kala was standing right beside Matt.

Matt turned to look at her before seeming to snap out of it. "Was I asleep again?" he said faintly.

Kala glanced at Chloe, who frantically making 'yes' motions. "Uh, yes?" said Kala.

Matt let out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he said, not noticing that everyone started breathing normally again.

Chris, however, was looking at an ornate box. The box was unusual, being shaped like a triangular prism. One side had a button on it and had very faint dark wisps floating out from the cracks. Chris looked closer at the box. Something about it made him want to press the button.

Someone probably should have told him not to, but there was a large distraction involving Morph grabbing the Eye of Aurora and disappearing to an ice cream factory. He picked up the box, shook it, shrugged and in a classic example of the attitude that landed the gang in many of their adventures, pressed the button.

The box clicked open and dark clouds poured out, filling up a large part of the room. "Ah...just a useless ancient smoke...*cough*...grenade," said Chris.

Suddenly, the smoke gathered into three separate clouds before the clouds formed humanoid shapes. Then the smoke solidified into three men, only wore black clothing, had bright blue tattoos on their arms and foreheads, their eyes were solid black, their ears were pointy, and they had orange skin.

Matt had ended up eye to eye with one of them, the shortest one. "Wow, who the smeg are these guy?" he said, surprised. The warrior blinked, noticeably with sideways eyelids, and raised up its hand. Smoke flowed through its hand before materializing a metal staff. Matt looked at it before unclipping his deactivated ion blade and igniting it. "I'm guessing these guys are trouble?" he said. The tall one with flowing hair waved its hand as the smoke materialized into a boomerang blade. The bald one raised a hand and a sledgehammer appeared in it.

The gang just stared. It was a shame that Uncle and the others had left for the moment cause Matt had a feeling these guys were in Drago's league. He settled for sending a plasma bolt at the short one. The warrior spun his staff, which separated into three parts connected by chains. The staff smacked hit the plasma bolt and sent it back at Matt. Matt managed to dodge the blast before glaring and readying his blade. "Try that again, you walking tango advert."

However, the taller warrior stepped forward with his large blade. The blade spun rapidly like a circular saw before it sliced at Matt. Matt ducked it before slashing it in half as it came back. "HAH...NOW TRY...it," he said, tauntingly before the warrior's weapon reformed in its hand. "Now that doesn't seem fair," said Matt.

The trio got into fighting stances. Matt rolled his own eyes. "Let's kick these guys asses," he said.

Suddenly, the bald one threw his sledgehammer straight at Matt. And it flew at a surprisingly fast speed that would surely crush Matt's bones. The group scattered in time for the sledgehammer to go clean through the blastdoor. Matt looked at the hole with a pale face before looking at the hammerless warrior. "HAH...NO WEAPON, NO-" he began before the returning hammer came back through the hole and clocked him on the back of the head. Matt went down like a felled tree.

"Matt!" cried Kala.

"Don't worry, he has a particularly hard head," said Chloe.

"Not the donuts," mumbled Matt from where he was slumped, actually succeeding in making the warriors pause from brief confusion. The warriors leaped forward. The group expected them to attack, but they just jumped out the hole the sledgehammer made.

Chloe sighed and walked over to the intercom. "Captain Black? This is Chloe down in the secure store room...yeah, we messed up."

...

Quite naturally, the group was given a chewing out by Uncle. Of course, this has happened so often, the group was getting used to it. Chloe was sure Matt was humming a tune to himself throughout the rant...though she was hardly better given she was half asleep by now.

Just then, Chris nudged them and said, "I think he's winding down."

Chloe shook herself awake in time to hear Uncle say, "We must find dark chi warriors before they can find their original master."

"And who's that again?" asked Matt.

Uncle glared. "Were you listening to Uncle?" he said in an annoyed voice.

"I stopped after the third 'you should not pry into magic you do not know'," said Matt, earning him a two-finger whack.

Uncle glared and said, "Dark Chi Warriors are minions of dark chi wizard, Dao Lon Wong."

"Uh, he's your archenemy, right?" asked Matt, "And I mean you specifically."

"Dao Lon Wong was a master of Dark Chi magic," said Uncle, "He defeated many good chi wizards, including my teacher, Chi Master Fong."

"Sounds like a tough cookie...how'd you beat him?" said Chloe, conversationally.

"I used a spell to disenchant him, but he attempted to use the Deja Vu Stone to regain his powers," said Uncle, "I do not know what has become of him after that."

"Deja Vu Stone?" said Matt, confused.

"It is a kind of time travel magic," said Uncle, "Allows one to relive their past experiences."

"Hmm...that sounds like fun," said Matt, sarcastically.

"But that is not important," said Uncle, "What is important is what will happen with the Dark Chi Warriors find their master."

"So? You said this guy's got about as much power as Morph has common sense. Why worry?" said Chris, leaning back in his seat.

"Dao Lon's warriors were made from his power," said Uncle, "If they reunite, Dao Lon's powers can be restored."

"So...how do we stop them?" said Matt, a bored tone in his voice

"Uncle must do research," said Uncle before walking away.

Matt looked at Jade and Jackie, "We're screwed...aren't we?"

"Well...uh..." started Jackie.

"No more than usual," said Jade.

"That bad?" said Chloe, sarcastically.

"Well, Dao Lon does want to upset the balance of yin and yang," said Jackie.

"But he'll probably be more interested in revenge now," said Jade.

"Hmm...and I am guessing that as we're standing near you, we're added to the list," said Matt, conversationally.

Kala gave Chris a disapproving look and said, "You just had to push the button on the smoking box, didn't you?"

"Hey...how was I to know?" said Chris, defensively.

"Seriously, that's the kind of silly antic I'd expect from Morph," said Kala.

"That's kinda something I wanted to do," said Morph, "But I didn't cause trouble. I went out for ice cream." He then opened his mouth wide and swallowed an entire carton of ice cream he was holding.

Chloe glared before looking at Matt, who seemed to be waiting. "Aren't you gonna shout?" she said confused.

Matt said, "Nope...just gonna wait."

"Wait for what?" asked Kala.

Suddenly, Morph cringed and grasped the sides of his head. He screamed loudly before his entire head froze solid.

"That," said Matt, happily.

…

Meanwhile, in a distant land, three rolling clouds of blue smoke were heading straight for a long-abandoned temple. As soon as they came to the threshold, they materialized into the three Dark Chi Warriors.

The warriors looked around the temple, weapons at the ready in case the temple had guards before they looked around, seeming to sniff the air. While magic is often undetectable to the sense of average mortals, the Dark Warriors were another type of being entirely and could follow the trace scent of magic in the area.

Their trail led them to the central chamber, a large stone sitting in the middle. The warriors looked around, checking for any minute traces of traps. When it appeared that nothing was about to happen, the hammer warrior walked towards the stone cautiously, still expecting the worst.

Just then, large spikes came out of the floor and started spinning in a circle at quick speeds. The other two, if they had been still capable of emotion, would have winced as their fellow was reduced to smoke. However, the hammer warrior soon rematerialized. Now that they knew where the threat was, it was simple to leap over the spinning spikes.

The trio approached cautiously, leapt over the spikes...and were pulverized by several pendulum axes. Of course, like before, the architects of the temple never would have expected intruders to survive the trap unscathed, let alone be hit twice.

The three warriors materialized again, but were more anxious about approaching the pillar the stone stood upon. Eventually, the staff warrior extended his weapon and touched the pillar. A tiny beam of light focused on them at that, a faint whine coming from the pillar. The three warriors looked at each other, reached for the stone...and were vaporized when the solar spell went off.

This would have definitely finished the job if it were any other being. But the warrior's immortality once again caused them to rematerialize. With the final trap conquered, the blade warrior picked up the stone on the pillar. The stone itself was shaped like a pillar with a rune on all four sides. The warriors, despite everything paused with their hands on the stone, expecting one final surprise before finally taking it.

The blade warrior held up the stone, which glowed green. Soon afterwards, a portal opened in the air. Then an old man dropped from the portal. He wore blue and black robes and his grey hair and long fingernails were definite signs of his age.

The old man rubbed his head and muttered, "I never thought I'd be free from that timeless void. When I get my hands on that accursed old man and his nephew..." He looked up before and was surprised to see the three demonic warriors kneeling before him.

"My original warriors released?" asked Dao Lon. Then he smiled evilly before pulling something out of his robe sleeve. It was his scepter, although the blue gem in it was still broken. "With your dark chi, I can restore myself to full power," said Dao Lon, "Return to me, my Dark Warriors." The warriors immediately exploded into their dark smoke forms which flowed into Dao Lon's staff. The staff glowed blue as the gem repaired itself. The blue glow spread to Dao Lon, causing him to briefly lift off the ground. "Yes, my powers return," he called, "I am a true wizard once again! And the first thing I will do...is put that chi wizard and his troublesome family in their place."

Just then, his scepter flashed for a second. "What's this?" asked Dao Lon, "A new darkness in the realm?" He waved his scepter, producing a dark cloud. The cloud swirled before showing a demonic face he had seen before, only considerably more lifeless. "The Mask of Tarakudo?" asked Dao Lon, "I thought there were only 9 masks for the Demon Generals. Could it really exist?"

The cloud swirled to show the San Francisco skyline. Dao Lon swore in Chinese, recognizing the home turf of his rival before he started to think. The Mask of Tarakudo was the magical equivalent of a nuclear bomb. With it, nothing could stop him. "With the power of all Shadowkhan at my control, none shall be able to oppose me," said Dao Lon Wong, "And no guardians shall stand between me and my prize."

…

Meanwhile, in the San Fran catacombs, Ghoulwyrm shot awake from his meditation with what Uncle would have called 'a case of the willies'. "By the prickling of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes," said Ghoulwyrm.

Drago, not opening his eyes from his own meditation said, "Stop quoting from that Shakespeare book you found. Everyone knows you fake it."

"Forget what I'm saying, I know what I'm feeling," said Ghoulwyrm, "There's dark magic coming our way and it does not look friendly."

Drago smirked "You mean like you 'predicted' where your enemies would be each time?"

"That doesn't need any kind of precognition," said Ghoulwyrm, "Anyone can tell that the Chans will show up and try to ruin whatever harebrained scheme you're attempting."

A voice got their attention as a figure appeared, "They do have a habit of ruining well-laid plans."

Ghoulwyrm was the first up, angrily roaring, "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"I am Dao Lon Wong, master of the Dark Chi Arts," said Dao Lon, "Since we appear to share an enmity, I shall you to leave peacefully if you hand over the Mask of Tarakudo now."

Ghoulwyrm glared before saying, "Not...a...chance. I stole it first."

Dao Lon glared back before shouting, "Gan, Ren, Chui!" In a puff of blue smoke, the three Dark Warriors appeared and brandished their weapons.

Drago snorted and said, "Big deal, I have jokers like these for breakfast."

Ghoulwyrm, who had been on the receiving end of such confidence and its consequences before slowly edged to the side away from Drago, just as the first warrior jump kicked Drago into...and through a wall. Ghoulwyrm turned to Dao Lon and said, "Perhaps we can compromise. We all hate the Chans and have an ax to grind against them. Perhaps we could team up and work together to eliminate them."

Dao Lon said annoyed, "I have trusted your kind before. I will not make that mistake again."

Drago climbed back through the hole in the wall and said, "No one tosses the Son of Shendu like that and gets away with it!"

"Drago, now's not the time," said Ghoulwyrm.

Dao Lon's eyes narrowed. "ENOUGH! I have neither the time nor patience for this foolishness. BEGONE!" he said, aiming his staff and firing a blast of dark chi smoke at them.

Ghoulwyrm and Drago were expecting to be blast back through a wall. But instead, they found themselves above ground in San Francisco. "Ok, this is not a good place to be," said Ghoulwyrm, noticing how a few humans were staring in horror at them.

"Don't just stand there like an idiot!" snapped Drago, "You're not just gonna let him kick us out like that."

Ghoulwyrm glared and said, "Look, it's not that easy. You're not part vam..." he began before roaring in pain as some sun reflected off a watching human's sunglasses. Unfortunately for the two of them, this roar was enough to incite the crowd into a panic.

...

At Section 13...

Matt and the gang were talking. "So, if this Dao Lon guy gets out, what horrors can we expect?" asked Matt, "Giant silver-skinned Pegasi monsters? Godzilla tapdancing down the street?"

"In my experience, dark wizards tend to collect powerful magical artifacts for nefarious purposes," said Draco.

"Oh goody, another Fang Stone," said Matt sarcastically.

"Maybe, but I bet this guy's also after revenge," said Chloe.

"Of course he will be...they always are," said Matt darkly.

"So we should be optimizing our defenses," said Techo, "Who knows when this creep will strike?"

"I looked at his picture. I could snap this guy like a twig...as human," said Matt, cockily.

Chloe said, "And his pet enforcers?"

"Hey, no one told me they could remote control their weapons," said Matt.

"We need to be careful. McNeil's supposed to be the anti-magic division. Let's get some backup. He owes us after Shendu," said Chloe.

"I say he owes us more than that," said Chip, "As I recall, he promised to have his troops find Kai for us, but we ended up doing all the work about that."

Kala said, "I dunno...I don't trust him. Something about him seems...off."

"Yes, there is something untrustworthy about him," said Matt, "But I think this Gong guy might be a more immediate problem."

"It's Wong," said Techo automatically, not looking up from an intercepted news report, "Hey...the might not be the only problem."

Matt twitched before saying, "We don't have any time for interdimensional demons."

"Not demons...dracoliches," said Techo, showing the news report.

Chloe studied it and looked skeptical. "Ghoulwyrm in broad daylight?" she said, "He's not that stupid."

Just then, Captain Black burst in and said, "We've got a situation. Our most wanted dragons have been spotted downtown."

Chloe looked at the others smug looks. "Say something...I dare you," she said darkly.

PlasMorph, not quite the best at picking up threats, said, "Look who's stupid now." Chloe sighed and sent a lightning bolt out that caused Morph to explode.

"Well, I don't know what those two are up to this time," said Chris, "But it'll good practice for when the wizard shows up."

…

Matt's gang and the Chans arrived at the location to see practically everyone trying to get away. "Well, least finding the dumb duo is easy," commented Chris.

"Amazing how a few oddities can incite such a panic," said Chip.

Matt looked at Chip and Draco. "Yes...unusual," he said

"Enough dillydallying," snapped Uncle, "We must deal with Drago and Ghoulwyrm so we can prepare for Dao Lon Wong."

Matt shrugged. "Sure, why not?" he said and turned the corner to see several Shadowkhan. Matt blinked and asked, "Guys, is Shendu still in the vault?"

Chloe came round the corner saying, "Of course he...oh sh-" before the two were forced to dive back around as the Khan started throwing ninja stars rapidly.

Matt turned to the others and said, "I think Ghoulwyrm's pulling out the cavalry." Uncle peered around calmly, the stars somehow missing him. "Are you nuts?" said Matt in horror, trying to pull him back.

"This does not seem right," said Uncle, "If Ghoulwyrm could utilize the Shadowkhan so freely, he would have done so from the start."

"Then he finally read the manual, I dunno," said Matt, annoyed before tossing a plasma orb round the corner

"Either way, it looks like they're on the warpath," said Jade.

Matt peered round to see the Shadowkhan were either destroyed or gone. "Let's just deal with Ghoulwyrm, that ought to get rid of these guys," he said.

Just then, the walls of the building turned black before more Shadowkhan emerged from them. "Isn't there some limit to these guys?" asked Techo.

"They come from Shadow Realm...OF COURSE NOT!" said Uncle, slapping Techo who glared.

"Big deal, we've been kicking their butts for years," said Jade.

"Good...you first," said Matt sarcastically as the assembled Shadowkhan waited for the first move.

"Ok, let's show these guys some dragon weather power," said Jade. Immediately, the experiments pulled out umbrellas and opened them. Matt and Chloe looked at each other and ran for cover, grabbing Uncle on the way with Jackie close behind. "Ok, let's see how well these guys do in a flash flood," said Jade as her eyes glowed green. Stormclouds quickly formed above, looking ready to burst.

The Shadowkhan looked up just in time for the artificial heavens to open and a literal downpour to start. The Khan however didn't seem impressed, looking back before they started to hear a rumbling. A wave of water started rushing down the street, straight towards the ninjas.

It also headed for Matt and co. "Oh...shiiiiit!" swore Matt, scrambling up a fire escape.

"I knew I should have brought a snorkel," said Draco before he picked up Chip and jumped into the air. Chloe grabbed Uncle before going dragon and taking off, Jackie and the others also climbing up fire escapes.

"I thought Jade had that weather thing under control," said Techo.

"Weather, yes, natural disasters, no," said Chris.

Just then, a little tugboat floated by. Morph, dressed like a sea captain, waved from the deck and said, "Ahoy, maties!"

"Ok, this is too much. JADE! TURN OFF THE WATER PUMPS! YOU GOT THEM ALREADY!" said Chloe with a sigh before yelling the last part.

"Ok, just a sec," said Jade before closing her eyes and concentrating. The flood soon came to a stop, but only because it had turned to snow and ice.

"Not...helping," said Chris, his teeth chattering

A little down the street, Morph could be heard shouting, "Man the lifeboats, we've hit an iceberg!"

Matt looked up and yelled at Chloe, "You and Uncle see anything? I'd prefer not to go through an alley maze."

Chloe looked out and said, "Well, Morph's moved on to the 'arctic explorer' phase, but the Shadowkhan are wiped out."

"Do you see Ghoulidiot from up there?" Matt yelled.

"Uh, yeah, I see him," said Chloe, "But, huh, that's curious…"

What's curious?" yelled Matt.

Chloe used a free paw to rub her eyes. "Looks like the Shadowkhan are trying to fillet him," she called back.

"Ah, so Ghoulwyrm finally lost control of those guys," said Matt.

"This does not make sense," said Uncle, "Shadowkhan have no will of their own. Without anyone to control them, they would not be in this world."

"So...bed?" said Matt after a minute. Uncle said something unheard to Chloe who lowered down to allow Uncle the chance to slap Matt.

"If the Shadowkhan are confronting Ghoulwyrm, it means someone has usurped his control," said Uncle.

Jackie looked towards Jade and said, "Jade, have you been playing with fake tattoos again?"

Jade had just managed to get free of the snowdrift she had caused when she heard Jackie, holding up her hands in defense, "Not after last time. I had the Shadowkhan roast that book, remember?"

"There is one other who could have taken control of the Shadowkhan," said Uncle, his tone turning serious.

"Dao Lon Wong?" asked Jackie.

Uncle's face bought it for Matt, who said, "Guy works fast."

"We must be very cautious," said Uncle, "Doubtlessly, he will send more Shadowkhan after us."

"That's only if he knows we're here. These guys were probably random," said Matt, though not really believing it himself. However, nearby building walls turned black as red slit-like eyes appeared. "Of course...I've been wrong before," said Matt, nervously.

Shapes emerged from the shadows, but not like the other ninjas. They were humanoid in basic shape, but looked like they were covered in black exoskeletons. Their left arms ended in a large stinger but their right arms ended in huge crab-like claws.

Matt stared at the Khans in surprise before one of the Khans sliced through the support on his fire escape perch. "I hate Shadow-" started Matt before he fell onto the ground.

…

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm was having similar thoughts to Matt's. The Shadowkhan may have no will of their own, but apparently Dao Lon had made a few insurances that no one would take their control from him.

"So...how the plan going?" taunted Drago, kicking another Shadowkhan down, only to see several more appearing.

"The wizard may be clever, but not clever enough," said Ghoulwyrm as he fired another controlling spell at the Shadowkhan. The spell seemed to hit an invisible wall in front of the Shadowkhan Ghoulwyrm aimed at. The Khan didn't seem impressed before sending a hail of throwing stars at the lich. "GAH...QUIT IT!" he yelled.

"Oh, don't be a baby," said Drago, "That's only, what, the fifth time your spells didn't work?"

Ghoulwyrm glared, "FOR THE LAST TIME..." Before a sword-wielding Shadowkhan beheaded him. "SMEG DAMMIT!" he yelled

"It ever occurred to you that oriental magic is beyond your grasp?" asked Drago.

Ghoulwyrm growled as he collected his head. "Look who's talking," he snarled, "For someone who comes from a family of demon sorcerers, you're not much of a spellcaster."

Drago snarled. "If I could reactivate that demon chi, I'd make you eat those words," he muttered.

Ghoulwyrm glared at the Shadowkhan and readied several glowing orbs, throwing them all with an angry roar of 'OBEY ME!' The orbs hit the Shadowkhan, which released a lot of energy. The Shadowkhan twitched and writhed before dissipating into shadow. Ghoulwyrm snarled before giving another angry roar.

...

Though the last spell had failed, it wasn't completely affectless. The power behind was enough that it caused Dao Lon to stagger backwards in shock.

The dark chi warriors looked over in curiosity before Dao Lon said, "Hmm...it seems that the previous inhabitant might be a threat after all. I wonder what is going on up there?"

We waved his scepter in a circle, creating a dark blue cloud. The cloud swirled before showing the scene going on in the street, with Ghoulwyrm attempting to get the Shadowkhan under his control.

"What? I did not give them that command...SHOW ME THE CHANS!" he said angrily.

The cloud swirled before showing the Chans fighting off the Scorpion Khan...in a street filled with snow and ice. And there appeared to be dragons fighting alongside them.

"What? Dragons? And a Celestial? But Shendu was the last, I was certain." said Dao Lon, a little gobsmacked.

Then Dao Lon focused upon the Celestial and got an even greater surprise. Her facial features were identical to that interfering niece of Chan's, albeit older. But around her neck was a necklace that he read about long ago. "The Vang Xian Necklace is real?" asked Dao Lon, "And it would seem it had found its Chosen One. But if the legend is true, that would mean..."

He turned to his warriors and pointed to Jade's image. "Bring me the Chosen One at once," he commanded. The three warriors nodded before disappearing a puff of smoke. "This is far more important than petty revenge," said Dao Lon, "The prophecy must not be fulfilled."

...

Matt blasted yet another Scorpion Khan into vapor before 3 more popped up. "How many of these guys ARE THERE?" he said, frustrated.

"Shadowkhan have no limits to their numbers," said Uncle, "The only to get rid of them is removing their summoner."

"Oh goody," said Matt sarcastically, blasting two more.

Chris threw his now-empty gun at a Khan who snapped it in half. "Great...so we're dead," he said, annoyed.

Just then, all the Shadowkhan paused where they were. "Uh, what are they doing?" asked Draco.

"Apparently nothing," said Chip.

"Or they're receiving new orders," said Jackie.

Jade was at the back, facing down several Shadowkhan and as such didn't notice when three puffs of blue smoke appeared behind her. The warriors didn't bother to fully materialize, just from the waists up. They silently approached Jade before suddenly grabbing her, holding onto her limbs.

The others turned at Jade's yell of surprise, Matt readying a plasma orb to blast at them. "Jackie!" cried Jade before suddenly she and the warriors dissolved into blue smoke and disappeared. The Shadowkhan also faded back into the shadows and were gone.

"This...isn't good," said Techo weakly.

"Where did they all go?" asked Kala.

"Back to Dao Lon Wong," said Jackie. "But why just her?" asked Chris, "He could have taken all of us if he wanted. And he had it out for all of us."

Uncle seemed thoughtful before saying, "Something else...something more important than his vengeance."

...

Dao Lon was pacing impatiently when he heard the familiar sound of his warriors arriving. He looked to see them hold Jade, who was struggling to get free. "Ah, so the Jade Vanguard has surfaced after all these eras," said Dao Lon, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that it would turn out to be you."

Jade glared at Dao Lon and said, "You are in so much trouble once Jackie and Uncle gets here."

"Hmph...I doubt they could find anyone in this maze. Nobody will rescue you," said Dao Lon in a unimpressed voice.

"Oh, you better believe they'll get here," said Jade, "And when they do..."

Dao Lon snapped, "ENOUGH! I have no time for your feeble threats, girl. I have enough to deal with removing you for good."

"Ah, you finally recognize me as the better warrior that I am," said Jade, her bravado masking her nervousness.

"Warrior, pah," said Dao Lon, "Young or old, human or dragon, you are still a feeble girl compared to my warriors. The Vang Xian Necklace is the only thing dangerous about you."

Jade smirked. "Good luck with that. Even Uncle's not been able to get this off," she said

"I don't need to remove it," said Dao Lon, "Just to make it is destroyed with you. But how can I do so without creating a void that could be filled?"

Jade said, "You mean the old 'greater evil or good filling the void'? Uncle said that after I wasted Shendu."

Dao Lon looked surprised. "That was you?" he asked.

"Yep, blasted him to dust with the Dragon Talisman," said Jade proudly.

"Hmm, no wonder he didn't wish to speak of his demise," said Dao Lon.

"Yeah, I beat him, his siblings, Drago, his cronies, Tarakudo, and your own butt numerous times," said Jade, "So you might as well give up now before-"

"SILENCE!" snapped Dao Lon before zapping Jade with a blast from his scepter. Immediately, Jade's lips sealed shut and would not open, despite Jade's mumbling protests. Dao Lon glared and said, "That spell will deteriorate soon...but even a few seconds from your whining is a reprieve."

He walked away before muttering to himself, "There must be some way to neutralize. I cannot let the prophecy come true or allow a gap for a greater good to fill. The Wuji Ritual may work, but where can I find an appropriate counterpart? There must be someone who is antithesis to her..."

He suddenly thought back to Drago and smirked. Of course...Shendu's son would make a perfect counterbalance...and a revenge on the cocky fire demon to boot.

Dao Lon turned to his warriors and said, "Bind the girl and then seek out Shendu's son. I want him here alive."

…

Drago sighed to himself, wondering again what crazy thought had gotten him to team up with Ghoulwyrm, the aforementioned undead literally pulling himself together. Luckily, the Shadowkhan appeared to have lost interest.

"For someone who calls himself a 'master necromancer', you sure don't seem to have many useful ideas," said Drago.

"My ideas are significantly thorough," snarled Ghoulwyrm as he placed his foot back on, "Especially when they're compared to the fore-thoughtless schemes you come up with."

Drago glared, "Your 'minions' couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag. I've done more work than all of them combined."

"You've done more work?" snapped Ghoulwyrm incredulously, "Who was the one who located all the doors? Who's the one who's endured continuous bodily injury to bring out your family? Who's the one who has to drag your scaly butt out of the line of fire? I've been doing all the labor in this arrangement!"

"Hah...that's a good one. The Enforcers were better partners then you," said Drago

Ghoulwyrm's eyes flared purple as he roared, "You impudent, foolhardy, insolent..." Ghoulwyrm turned with a snarl pausing.

"Huh...all talk," Drago said before Ghoulwyrm said cautiously, "No...something's coming."

"What? This again?" asked Drago.

"Was I proven wrong last time?" asked Ghoulwyrm. Drago shrugged before getting ready, admitting the point to Ghoulwyrm

Suddenly, blue smoke started to swirl around Drago. "Hey, what is this?" he demanded. The Dark Chi Warriors attempted to pull the same move they had on Jade, only for Drago to jump out of range. "I don't have time for you losers," said Drago before throwing a fireball at them.

The first chi warrior was blasted, only to reform and throw his spinning blade at Drago before seemingly remembering his orders and causing the blade to shoot up and slice through a fire escape above Drago.

"Now that was a lousy toss," said Drago. Fate decided at that point to prove Drago wrong when the sliced fire escape balcony fell on the fire demon, pinning him.

As the dark warriors approached Drago, Ghoulwyrm said, "Now wait just a minute, Drago's my partner and I still need him. As much as I hate to say it, I cannot let you take him." The chi warriors turned to glare at Ghoulwyrm before sending their weapon at him at the same time. "Oh smeg," said Ghoulwyrm before the weapons went through him and made him fall to pieces. "Aw man, I just put myself back together," he groaned.

Drago rolled his eyes before the chi warriors vanished with him in tow. Poor Ghoulwyrm was still pulling himself together when Matt's group turned up...not helped when Matt burst out laughing.

"I am not in the mood," growled Ghoulwyrm, "I've been having a really lousy day."

"We are. Techo, get a capture container for the talking jigsaw puzzle," said Matt, grinning

"Haven't you got better things to do than bully an old dragon?" snapped Ghoulwyrm.

"Well, we would like to know where Jade is," said Chloe, igniting her ion blade and waving it under Ghoulwyrm's nose.

"How would I know where she is?" said Ghoulwyrm, "I'm not her caretaker. And frankly, you guys don't really make that cut either." The group glare he got told him that maybe he'd chosen a bad choice of words.

"Ok, dry bones," said Matt, now frowning, "You're gonna tell us where the orange guys took Jade or we'll let you pickle in a vat of garlic. I'll throw in some jalapenos for extra spice. Start talking." Ghoulwyrm growled and said, "I presume they took her to the same place they just took Drago."

"Wait...why'd they go after you? I thought you creeps had professional courtesy," said Techo, confused.

"Apparently, he's got a bad history with dragons," said Ghoulwyrm, "I mean, I don't go about kicking other villains out of their lairs."

"Your lair?" said Matt, with a grin. "You actually got kicked out of your base? Oh, this is rich," he said, trying not to laugh again

Ghoulwyrm growled and one of his arms managed to lift up. Its claws turned intangible before he plunged them through Matt's head. A second later, Chloe electrocuted Ghoulwyrm, sadly meaning the charge went through Matt's head. "BLAARREFRE!" Matt managed before he keeled over.

Ghoulwyrm, smoking gently said, "Worth it."

"Something still doesn't make sense," said Jackie, "If Dao Lon has the Mask of Tarakudo now, why would he want Drago?"

"And why would he only want to take Jade and not all of you?" asked Chris.

"Hey...that necklace...every other villain we've met has freaked out when they've seen it. Why not Dao Lon?" said Chris thoughtfully

"The Vang Xian Necklace is very important," said Uncle, "And that is why Dao Lon would wish to destroy it and its wearer utterly."

"That would cause a void, like when Shendu was destroyed," said Jackie, remembering Uncle's words from when Jade had destroyed Shendu.

"That is why Dao Lon took Drago," said Uncle, "Only by sacrificing him would the Wuji Ritual work." The rest of the group looked blank at that. "There are only two ways to remove a deity of great good or evil without upsetting the balance and making a void for a stronger force to fill," said Uncle, "One is to imprison it, such as with the Demon Sorcerers and the Celestial Dragons. The other way is through the Wuji Ritual. You all know the concept of yin and yang, yes?"

"Sure...I heard it," said Matt, before noticing everyone's glare. "What?" he said

"Yin and yang represent the two halves of everything, white and black, light and darkness, good and evil," said Uncle, "But there is a third concept: wuji, which is nothing."

Chris shrugged and said, "How bad could it be if it doesn't mean anything?"

Uncle glared and slapped Chris across the forehead. "Gah...what was that for?" yelped Chris

"I did not say it does not mean anything!" snapped Uncle, "Wuji means nothing, the empty void that lies between. Nothing, which comes before creation and after destruction."

"Oh great...limbo," said Matt, gloomily, having finally gotten his brain working again

"The Wuji Ritual was designed to remove from existence beings of significant weight in the balance of good and evil," said Uncle, "But the ritual itself has been performed very rarely."

"Why grab Drago then?" said Techo

"The Wuji Ritual, being neutral in nature, may be performed by both good and evil," said Uncle, "But two things often make this ritual inaccessible. One, in order for a being to be consigned to nonexistence, a being of equal strength but of opposite nature must be sacrificed as well."

"And the other thing?" asked Chloe.

"A great amount of magical energy," said Uncle, "Strong enough to power the ritual to its end. Such a source is hard to come by, often requiring the assistance of immortal beings."

Kala said in a small voice, the sort someone would have when they have realized something bad, "Like the thing Ghoulwyrm used to control those shadow ninjas?"

Uncle looked thoughtful before saying, "The Mask of Tarakudo draws power directly from the Shadow Realm. Dao Lon could find a way to extract enough power to fuel the Wuji Ritual."

"Crap...of course. It's never that easy." said Matt, gloomily before walking over to Ghoulwyrm and picking him up, "Ok, here is how it'll work: you get us to this Dao Lon creep...and I won't vaporize you."

Ghoulwyrm glared and said, "You don't enough power to vaporize me. And frankly, I wouldn't mind it so much if those two irksome teenage reptiles weren't around anymore."

Uncle walked over and said, "But you do want revenge on Dao Lon, yes? Then lead us to lair."

Ghoulwyrm glared. "Fine...but that little pain in my ass is MINE!" he said after a minute.

"You referring to Drago or Jade?" asked Chip. Chloe promptly kicked Chip into a dumpster. "What? It was a legitimate question," said Chip.

…

Meanwhile, Dao Lon Wong was setting up the cavern for the Wuji Ritual. It was a difficult spell, something that required a master wizard to work. Fortunately for him, Dao Lon was well qualified. Especially since he had both the energy source to perform the ritual and the sacrificial victims to offer.

"Soon...the forces of good will be shattered and those cursed Celestials will never return," said Dao Lon to himself, only to be interrupted by Drago calling out "Don't you ever shut up?"

Dao Lon glared at Drago and said, "Surely even you understand the importance of eliminating her."

"I can get you wanting to get rid of the Chan, but I'm not big on being sent to Wuji," said Drago.

"A sacrifice is necessary," said Dao Lon, "Perhaps your 'martyrdom' will be written down in legend. Though I wouldn't count on it."

"Hey, Dao Lon, you realize that Drago is only part demon, right?" said Jade

"And you are only part human," said Dao Lon, "If there were any doubt of you being antithesis to each other, I'd just seal you both in stone."

Drago said, "You know, if you are wrong, you'd probably blow yourself to bits or summon some kinda demon that'll tear your stupid head off."

Dao Lon looked thoughtful and said, "I should make sure, just in case. This will not take long." He then walked over, muttering to himself.

Jade looked over at Drago and said, "Ok...why'd you do that? Try to convince him his spell things gonna fail?"

"I figure you'd have a rescue party coming to break up his spell, so we just stall for time," said Drago, "That's what you always do, right?"

Jade thought about this. "I suppose," she said suspiciously.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I don't want to be negated out of existence," said Drago, "So we just gotta keep him distracted until your pals bust us out."

Jade said, "What do you mean 'we'?"

"C'mon, you girls are better at distracting," said Drago.

Jade's eyes narrowed. "And what's that supposed to mean?" she said, icily...so icily that ice was forming.

Almost fortunately, Dao Lon came back with a balance scale in his hand. "This should establish if the balance is equal," he said. Dao Lon immediately chanting what sounded like nonsense to himself. Drago and Jade shook their heads as it felt like the world was spinning

Then the two basins of the scale filled with glowing energy, one red, one green. The scale tipped back and forth a bit before it balanced out. "Ah, just as I thought," said Dao Lon, "You are able to perfectly balance each other out: celestial and demonic, male and female, good and evil, yin and yang."

"Crap," said Drago darkly.

Dao Lon turned to his warriors and the Shadowkhan. "We must set up the ritual immediately," he said, "I will not take the chance of that meddlesome old man and his family intervening before I finish this."

"Hah, you haven't got enough mojo to pull off this sorta spell," said Jade, trying to bluff the dark wizard down.

"On the contrary," said Dao Lon, pointing at the stone chest, "With the power of the Shadow Realm channeled through the Mask of Tarakudo, I have ambient power to ensure the ritual's success."

Drago glared. "You had to say it," he said angrily to Jade.

"No way you could pull out that much magic," said Jade, "You don't have that much control over the mask, no one does."

Dao Lon turned to look at Jade. "Oh...and how would you know, child?" he said, nastily.

"Ghoulwyrm could only use one of the tribes at a time," said Jade, "And I see you haven't pulled out all the ninja horde."

Dao Lon's eyes narrowed. "I only need one of the tribes to deal with your friends," he said coldly.

"Sure you do," said Drago mockingly.

Dao Lon turned and surprisingly smirked, "Laugh all you want...soon you will be gone."

"I'd like to see you try," said Drago.

"Oh, I won't try," said Dao Lon, "I'll succeed."

…

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm was reluctantly leading the way through the tunnels that lead to the San Francisco catacombs. "How much further, zombie boy?" said Matt from behind him

"Have some patience," snapped Ghoulwyrm, "I normally just ghost through the walls."

"No excuses," said Chloe cheekily, sending a charge of electricity into Ghoulwyrm's butt.

Ghoulwyrm yelped and turned back to glare at Chloe. "If I didn't want that mask back so badly, I would bring this tunnel down upon you," he growled.

Chloe just smirked. "You wouldn't get the chance." she said cockily

"Is that so?" said Ghoulwyrm before abruptly reaching upward and punching the ceiling. A couple of cracks appeared in the ceiling and dust fell down as a slight rumble was heard. A second later, a fireball narrowly missed Ghoulwyrm's head.

"Stop playing around!" snapped Uncle, "We must find Dao Lon Wong before he can complete Wuji Ritual and Jade will be lost to us forever."

Ghoulwyrm said sarcastically, "Oh, what a loss that would b-" before Uncle zapped his voice away.

"Just keep moving, corpse breath. We haven't got all day," said Draco.

Ghoulwyrm mouthed something, probably something rude before pointing at a hole leading into a larger chamber.

"Uncle, once we get there, do you know how to stop the ritual?" asked Jackie.

"That is simple. The spell requires balance so we free one of the sacrifices," said Uncle.

"It's never that simple," said Kala.

Ghoulwyrm stopped the group before tossing a stone ahead, where one of his glyphs glowed and reduced the rock to liquid.

"Figures, nice trap though," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm actually looked a little proud at that before rubbing the glyph out before walking through. "Any more traps we should know about?" asked Chris. Ghoulwyrm thought for a moment before shaking his head.

Matt walked forward and Ghoulwyrm grinned as there was a flash of light and a scream before Matt walked back, blackened and smoke coming from his hat. "I hate you," Matt said darkly .

Ghoulwyrm laughed mutely before Matt readied a plasma orb in his hand. "Ok, seriously now, any more traps or shall we use your head to test for them?" he said. Ghoulwyrm managed to stop laughing before shaking his head. "Good," said Matt before adding, "You still walk first."

The muting spell seemed to have worn off because then Ghoulwyrm said in a exaggerated voice, "You walk first cause I'm a half-crazy mercenary. Blah de blah blah," before walking forward.

Matt glared and said, "He's just begging for another decapitation."

Kala said calmly, "Patience, Matt...wait till AFTER we've found Jade. Then I'll even draw a dotted line round his neck for you."

"Right," said Matt, "Thanks."

The group continued walking down into the depths. After a bit, Draco said, "Is it me, or is this..."

Matt said, "If the next words out your mouths are 'too easy', I'll tie your neck in a knot."

"...really musty down here? A guy could cough to death down here," said Draco.

Matt nodded. "Ok, let's just get this over...do you hear springs?" he said, looking confused as he said the last part.

The group paused. It did indeed sound like there was a metallic 'boing, boing, boing' getting closer, like someone jumping on a pogo stick. "Did Morph follow us down here?" asked Draco.

Chloe shook her head. "Last I saw he was still a blob-sicle," she said before all the mercs of the group looked at each other and aimed their blasters.

"There is something familiar about that sound..." said Jackie thoughtfully before he said, "Oh no."

"Oh...crap. Are we allowed to shoot this time?" said Matt, a little sarcastically.

Up ahead was a larger cavern with several stalagmites and stalactites. The springing sound was extremely close, along with a maniacal laughter. "Jackie...what the smeg is coming?" said Chloe, panning her blaster around.

"Spring-Heeled Jack," said Jackie.

"I thought he was just an urban legend," said Draco.

"He's a very happy-sounding urban legend," said Techo, worried.

Just then, a strange figure leapt into the cavern. It looked like a short man, only he was wearing clothes that looked fashionable in Queen Victoria's time, including a short cape and a pair of bronze boots that had a huge spring for heels. However, the head was obviously inhuman with green skin and wild red hair on the back of his head, his eyebrows, and mutton chops.

Matt looked at Uncle. "May we?" he asked cheerfully.

"If you can hit him," said Uncle, "But that won't stop him for long."

"Mostly stress relief...HEY, UGLY!" said Matt, yelling the last part at Spring-Heeled Jack before him and his men opened fire.

The troll easily leaped and dodged those attacks. "It looks like some new sort of gun," said Jack, "This should be a lot of fun."

Matt glared. "Did he just insult my blaster?" he said calmly before igniting a plasma orb.

"Are you sure the area is tectonically stable enough for that kind of firepower?" asked Chip.

"NOBODY INSULTS MY COLLECTION...DIE, YOU SLINKIE-BOOTED FREAK!" yelled Matt, throwing the orb, which had been pulsating strangely at Jack, causing a much larger explosion that anyone expected However, the explosion seemed to set off a light tremor, being so close to the fault line. Nothing to start a cave-in, but enough to shake everyone off their feet. "Ok...not gonna do that again." said Matt, from where he was laying.

"My, my, that was a big boom," said Spring-Heeled Jack, "I best give that one plenty of room."

"Urgh...I hate it when they speak in rhymes," muttered Matt, getting up and saying, "Get down her so I can punch you."

"No, I wouldn't like a punch," said Jack, "But there are some people I would like to munch."

"Nobody munches my mates, spring man. Try it and all you'll be able to eat is soup," said Matt, threateningly.

"Only a few of your friends shall taste my wrath," said Jack before sniffing, "The rest, though, could use a bath."

Matt glared and took aim. "I shoot cheeky people, just ask Draco," he said conversationally.

Spring-Heeled Jack laughed loudly before he started literally bouncing off the walls. The troll was so quick that it was maddening to take aim at him. "Stay still you freakazoid...WHO SAID THAT?" said Matt, yelling the last part as Ghoulwyrm muttered "Takes one to know one."

Then Jack leapt over and grabbed Jackie. "Ah, Jackie Chan, so nice to see you," said Jack, "Is your twin brother here too?"

Chloe came up behind him at that and tried to grab him. "He doesn't have a twin, stay still," she said.

"Stay still you say? I've done that for too long," said Jack, "Now it is time to right what was wrong."

"What is this thing talking about...DAMMIT!" said Matt, swearing as he missed yet again.

"I have been imprisoned by the Maguses, and again by the Chans. Now that I am free, I shall eat both of their clans," said Spring-Heeled Jack.

"You're gonna try and eat Jade? There's an experiment I wouldn't wanna miss," muttered Techo

"I shall gobble, devour, feast, and binge until I finally achieved my revenge," said Jack before leaping off with Jackie, "I shall start my meal with Jackie Chan, who looks to be a rather appetizing man."

"Ok, this has gone on way too long," said Draco before his horns started glowing purple. Spring-Heeled Jack seemed to be frozen to the spot he had just landed on, but the strained look on Draco's face made it clear he won't be stuck for long.

"Thanks Draco," said Chloe, walking over and pulling Jackie loose and saying, "You really are annoying." to Jack before sending an electrical charge at him.

"Your head must be as thick as a rock if you think I can be stopped with an electric shock," said Jack.

Matt snapped at this and yelled "STOP RHYMING!" blasting Jack across the cavern.

Fortunately, this had the effect of stunning Jack for a while so he wouldn't come up with a rhyming rebuttal.

"Ok...how did you beat this guy last time?" said Matt, already annoyed from the rhyming

"Simple," said Uncle before taking a salt shaker out of his pocket, "We'll just sprinkle him with this."

"Is that magical powder?" asked Kala.

"No, just salt," said Uncle.

"But...That...why?" said Matt, a little speechless as to why anyone would walk around with a salt shaker.

"A good chi wizard always has some on hand to cast spells and when restaurant supply is not good," said Uncle.

The group just stared at that before Chloe said, "Ok...let's just move on. GHOULWYRM, GET MOVING!"

"So that's what all those salt bags in that museum was for," said Ghoulwyrm, "They looked too fresh to have been there that long."

"Less yap, more walking, zombie boy," said Matt, annoyed.

Ghoulwyrm growled before continuing forward. _'I can't believe I've been dragged into this,' _he thought,_ 'First being kicked out of my lair, then helping my enemies to get there. I have too much seniority for this kind of treatment.'_

Matt from behind yelled, "Get a move on, ugly!"

Ghoulwyrm adding to himself, _'And to be beaten by someone with about as much finesse as a brick. I used to be a legend, the ultimate night terror. How did I fall so far?'_

A tiny voice in his head said, _'Well...you do tend to make mistakes when you're annoyed.'_

_'I do not make that many mistakes,'_ snapped Ghoulwyrm before suddenly bumping into a wall that he didn't notice because of all his internal griping.

Matt burst out laughing at that, taunting, "I thought undead had good night vision."

Ghoulwyrm growled and said, "Keep laughing and I'll make sure you won't have any vision at all."

Matt was about to reply when a shuriken star nearly took his ear off. The group turned as several Shadowkhan emerged from the shadows. "Oh great, more ninjas," said Matt.

The Shadowkhan immediately lunge at them, three going for Poor Ghoulwyrm with their swords. "Oh no," said Ghoulwyrm dully before they took his head off. Ghoulwyrm's head rolled into an inconveniently-placed crack in the floor, one that he couldn't wiggle his way out of. "Maybe I should try getting my neck reinforced," he said.

The rest of the Shadowkhan were trying their best to make sure the rest of the gang also lost their heads. "I'm guessing he doesn't want visitors!" yelled Matt.

"Gee, ya think?" said Chip sarcastically as he hit a Shadowkhan.

Chloe blasted another down. "We must be close for this kinda resistance. How much further Ghoul...oh," she said, stopping when she spotted Ghoulwyrm's headless body flailing around.

"Good thing he's not the forgetful type," said Chris.

"I'm right down here, you know," said Ghoulwyrm's head from feet level.

"Ok, don't wander off now," said Chris.

"Huh...how dare he? I do not need to be told to 'not wander o-' " said Ghoulwyrm before a Scorpion Khan landed on him.

Chloe winced before saying, "I don't know who's hurt worse, Ghoulwyrm or the Khan."

Matt tossed a plasma ball at the Khan, blasting it through a wall. "Definitely the Khan," he said.

Uncle blasted some Shadowkhan with his puffer fish before snapping, "We are wasting too much time! Dao Lon will be halfway through the ritual before we can get close to eliminating all of them!"

"Yeah, Ghoulwyrm, don't tell me you don't know a shortcut," said Matt, yelling the last part at Ghoulwyrm. Ghoulwyrm seemed a little daze after the Shadowkhan fell on him as his eyes were just spinning. Matt sighed and said, "Kala, smack some sense back into the talking head."

Kala walked up and slapped Ghoulwyrm on the side of his head, causing his eyes to settle. "Ow, ok, ok, I just need a minute to rest," said Ghoulwyrm.

"We don't have a minute, Ghoulwyrm. Get up and get moving. Undead don't need rest," said Matt, angrily.

"Fine," said Ghoulwyrm, "The buildings shouldn't be too far from here. You can cut through them, but don't do that literally or you'll have a lot of collapsing on your hands."

Matt looked around before spotting a piece of wall that instead of rock, was bricks. "Found one," he said before tossing a plasma orb at it. The wall exploded outward in a shower of ancient masonry and rock. However, the explosion seemed to have triggered another small earthquake. The group all glared at Matt who said nervously, "Oh yeah...the cave in threat."

"Didn't you hear what I said about collapsing?" snapped Ghoulwyrm.

"Oh...I never listen to bad guys...OW!" said Matt, hopping as Chloe kicked him.

"Let's keep moving," said Kala, "We don't have time to waste."

The group headed into the revealed room, stepping over the rubble and happily finding the door out unblocked.

"Ok, the chest is near that Bizzaritorium place," said Ghoulwyrm, "Dao Lon would be doing his ritual there."

"Lead the way...really. I know you. How many booby traps did you make?" said Matt.

"Just three," said Ghoulwyrm, "I didn't think you guys would be able to find this place, but I set up a few just in case."

"Turn them off," said Matt, coldly.

"I would, but they need to be shut off from the other side," said Ghoulwyrm.

"Then I say again, lead the way," said Matt, his voice temperature lowering further

"How about putting me back on my body first?" asked Ghoulwyrm.

Matt grabbed Ghoulwyrm's head and tossed it overarm at his staggering body. Immediately, the neck shot three black and white tentacles out of the open wound and grabbed Ghoulwyrm's head. It then pulled it back until it was fastened back on. Ghoulwyrm finished with a twist of his neck. "Ah...much better..." he said before seeing the Chans' expressions. "What?" he said annoyed.

"Er, I see you've been...practicing with that," said Jackie, who looked a little sick.

"That idiot there chops my head off most of the time," said Ghoulwyrm, pointing at Matt.

"It's not like it kills you," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm glared and said, "One day I'll see if you like it."

"Can we keep moving?" said Chloe, "We have lives to save, remember?"

Ghoulwyrm said in an annoyed tone, "FINE...let's just get this over with." He looked around before muttering, "Let's see, the first trap should be about here." He reached out and touched one clawtip to a seemingly-blank spot on the wall.

He waited before saying, "Strange...I know I left a trap rune around here..." before leaning on another stone and being engulfed in a fireball.

"Good thing we've got a scapegoat to set off these traps for us," said Draco.

Ghoulwyrm rasped, "I hate you all."

"C'mon, there's at least one more trap left," said Matt.

Ghoulwyrm said, "Why don't you look for it then, smartarse."

"Hey, I'm not the one who set it up," said Matt.

"Then let me work," growled Ghoulwyrm before stamping on a floorboard in front of Matt, causing a rune to crack and become useless.

"Beyond these traps, what other defenses can we expect?" asked Chip.

"My guess, more Shadowkhan and those warrior guys," said Techo.

Ghoulwyrm said, "Yes...if I was this Dao Lon, there will be an ambush in a couple of rooms."

"Maybe we should split into two groups," said Chris, "One to draw out those ambushes and the others to go around and stop that ritual."

"Good idea. Ghoulwyrm, go be bait," said Matt., happily

"I refuse to be a decoy," snarled Ghoulwyrm, "I think it's high time you started pulling your weight in this little expedition."

Matt ignited his blade. "I can just send your head if you want," he said.

"Guys, save the fighting for the Shadowkhan," said Chip, "Me and Draco can be the decoys."

"Since when do you speak for me?" demanded Draco.

"You get to fight more Shadowkhan than the other group," said Chip.

"I'm in."

Matt looked concerned and said, "Are you sure? Ghoulwyrm's already dead. You're not."

"We're built for combat," said Draco, "Besides, once you take Wong down, the Shadowkhan will disappear, right?"

"Probably..." said Ghoulwyrm.

"Anyone else going with them?" asked Kala.

Chris said, "I'll go keep an eye on them," trying to ignore Ghoulwyrm's mutter of 'Pleasegetkilled'

"Fine, the rest of us will get the drop on the Anti-Uncle," said Matt, "Ghoulwyrm, show us the back door."

Ghoulwyrm looked around before walking over to a wall and adding a scratch.

"Uh, Ghoulwyrm, we're in a hurry," said Techo.

Ghoulwyrm said smugly, "Just be patient," before the wall seemed to start to ripple

"What's that?" asked Jackie.

"The 'back door'," said Ghoulwyrm

"Impressive use of portal magic, now get moving!" snapped Uncle.

Ghoulwyrm said, "A genius's work is never appreciated."

Matt nodded, "True...when we meet one we'll be sure to appreciate him."

Ghoulwyrm growled and muttered, "No respect..." before going through the shimmering wall. The rest of them followed to find themselves in what had probably been the museum's staff room when it had actually seen business.

"So what's our plan?" asked Kala.

"You will keep Dao Lon's forces occupied while Uncle puts together severing charm," said Uncle.

Matt grinned. "Distractions, I can do," he said.

Ghoulwyrm sniffed the air and said, "There's some powerful magic coming from over there." He pointed out the door.

Matt looked at the door. Now that he thought about it, he could hear a faint chanting. "Oh well...let's make a start," he said before walking towards the door and removing the hinges with his blade.

As the gang walked through the lobby of the ruined museum, they noticed a couple of odd exhibits, including what might be a Fiji mermaid. Techo paused when he saw several bags of salt. "Let me guess, for Spring-Heeled Jack?" he asked.

"Security, I suppose," said Matt before saying, "I woulda thought me slicing a door down woulda gotten attention."

Suddenly, the lobby got a lot darker, as if the shadows were thickening. "You had to say it, didn't you?" said Chloe.

"Ah crap." said Matt as dozens of red eyes appeared.

…

Meanwhile, Draco, Chip, and Chris were going through the other rooms. "You sure that there'll be an ambush?" asked Draco, "What if Ghoulwyrm's making that up so that we split up?"

A blur shot through the wooden wall with a buzzsaw noise at those words, narrowly missing Draco's nose.

"Er, I think we have the right path then," said Chip.

Several puffs of blue smoke appeared, forming the Dark Chi Warriors. "Rematch time," said Chris, "And this time, I'm not getting caught off-guard."

The warriors looked at each other before all leaping at Chris. Chris grabbed the wooden door behind him and ripped it off its hinges. He then swung it around at the warriors. The warriors were swatted into the wall, but the sledgehammer had gotten caught in the wood. Chris tried to pull his bat back to little effect before the warrior holding the hammer used Chris's door-bat against him.

Draco and Chip winced as Chris got sandwiched between the door and a wall. "You ok?" asked Chip.

"I got some splinters in my nose," said Chris's muffled voice.

The warrior with the boomerang blade was about to aim a slash at Chris when a plasma blast knocked him into a wall. "Weren't you ever taught to be careful with blades?" taunted Draco as the other two reformed.

"Draco, I don't think we're going to get much banter out of them," said Chip.

Draco turned to look at Chip, taking his eyes off the warriors. "We just need to keep their attention. It usually works for Ly..." he began before being kicked.

Chip gave a small sigh before saying, "This is going to keep us pretty occupied."

...

Matt blasted the last of a group of khan before panting. He hadn't had to do this much plasma casting since he'd learnt too. "Ok...tell me...we get a...break," he panted.

"The forces of darkness do not stop for breaks," said Uncle.

"But you've been blasting them with that pufferfish all this time," panted Kala.

"Stun spell is harder than it looks," said Uncle.

"You're not even panting..." said Matt, annoyed before looking at a door. "That's it...SCREW STEALTH!" he yelled before aiming his hand at the door.

"Matt, remember the building structure," said Chloe.

Matt, however wasn't listening, sending a large plasma orb at the door and removing it...and the surrounding wall. Quite fortunately, the building didn't go out on them. But a slight tremor in the ground urged not to dally. Matt had the decency to look embarrassed before walking through the hole he'd made. "Ok...party's over," he called into the room.

Jade and Drago could be seen suspended in what looked like a pair of cages made of nebulous energy. The cages were suspended by a similarly nebulous structure that looked a lot like a balancing scale. And seeing how there was a constant stream of dark energy coming from the chest to the giant scale, that must be where the Mask of Tarakudo was. "That was easy. Creep musta legged it," said Matt, with a grin before walking towards the chest.

Just then, a black bolt of energy flared shot out of the chest and sent Matt hurling back. "What? You think I wouldn't leave the chest itself unprotected, did you?" said Ghoulwyrm, "Though as I recall, it was supposed to just zap, not knock back."

"Remind me to decapitate you before I throw you in Kryos," moaned Matt, being helped up by Kala. Chloe however was looking around, "In all seriousness, where is this Dao Lon?"

Just then, dark smoke swirled around Chloe before solidifying into chains. "Your presence here is hardly a surprise," said Dao Lon as he stepped out of the shadows, "You have unyielding persistence and I hate that kind of persistence."

Matt naturally was the first to react by opening fire. Dao Lon was able to counter Matt's attacks with blasts from his own scepter. "Though your companions are rather unusual this time," said Dao Lon, "Still, they are no match for me."

"Let our friends go and I won't eat you," growled Matt, his eyes glowing a little. He added after a thought "...erm...oh, and let the jerk go too."

"And allow the return of the dragons? I think not," said Dao Lon, "Anyways, that girl has been a thorn in my side almost as badly as the good chi wizard. I would really like to see her go for good."

"Dragons are already present. You failed," said Matt tauntingly.

"I don't refer to you artificial half-breeds," said Dao Lon, "I mean the true dragons."

Before anyone could reply, Ghoulwyrm said, "I know how you feel. As one professional to another, that girl's a pain in my fangs. I'd do the same thing." Everyone looked angrily at Ghoulwyrm before he added, "But…I WANT MY LAIR AND MY MASK BACK! I STOLE IT FIRST!"

"As the girl frequently tends to put it, finders keepers, losers weepers," said Dao Lon before blasting Ghoulwyrm.

Everyone winced as Ghoulwyrm flew back into a wall that collapsed on him. "You won't get away with this," threatened Matt, igniting his ion blade for good measure.

"Actually, seeing how the Wuji Ritual is progressing, I do believe I will," said Dao Lon before waving his scepter and causing the shadows to darken.

"Oh, not again," muttered matt as several Shadowkhan surfaced.

"I am getting really sick of these guys," said Techo.

Meanwhile, Ghoulwyrm had phased out of the rubble he was in and went over to the cage Drago was in. "Now, let's see, how am I supposed to get this jerk out?" he muttered to himself.

Drago noticed Ghoulwyrm at that. "Finally you're here. Hurry up and get me the hell out of this thing," he snapped.

Ghoulwyrm said in a deadly calm voice, "I'm trying, Drago. This is a strange locking spell."

Drago narrowed his eyes and said, "Do it faster then."

Ghoulwyrm glared at Drago and said, "Well, maybe you should be doing this."

"Why not? You screw up anything you try," said Drago, "I don't know why I let you hang around."

This seemed to be the final straw. Ghoulwyrm started growling louder and louder. Purple flames licked around the corners of his mouth as his face was starting to turn red. Eventually, the horn on his head spat out a torrent of purple flames, accompanied with a sound not unlike a steam whistle shrieking. Then he yelled, "THAT'S IT! I...QUIT!"

The roar of outrage was so loud and defiant, everyone stopped in midfight and turned to look at Ghoulwyrm. "Erm, what was that?" asked Matt.

"I've had enough of all this!" yelled Ghoulwyrm, "I am an ancient dracolich who's seen the rise and fall of great empires, I've commanded vast legions of the undead and monsters of the night. But all the time I've been here, I've been smashed, squashed, belittled, beheaded, poisoned, perforated, and made a fool of on multiple accounts. And for what you may ask? For a family of ungrateful demonic wretches who don't appreciate the lengths I've gone for them. Who also, I might add, have laughably easy weaknesses to exploit which undoes all my hard work! And what have I gained from all this? Multiple overlooks of obviously superior talent and capability for less-than-worthy apprentices. And the one time I did get my proper respect, I was turned into a 12-story eating machine! I deserve far better respect than that!"

"Well, humiliation of the villain's just part of the-" started Matt.

"SILENCE!" shouted Ghoulwyrm before blasting Matt with a lightning bolt, "I can't take it any longer! I'm not staying on this planet a moment longer!"

"But, you can't just quit in the middle of a fight," said Chloe, "We're not even close to being finished."

"Oh, it's finished alright," said Ghoulwyrm before reaching over and picking up the chest with frighteningly little effort. "You all want this mask so bad? None of you has earned any right to full power, even if you don't have the stomach to actually use it." He waved a claw and a shadowy portal opened up. With a roar, Ghoulwyrm hurled the chest through the vortex which sealed up immediately. The remaining Shadowkhan then faded into thin air.

"What did you do, you fool?" snapped Dao Lon.

"I've sent the chest to a faraway place," said Ghoulwyrm, "Deep in the bowels of the earth and unreachable by anyone. Its power can still be reached, but only a handful of Shadowkhan can be summoned at any time."

Another wave of his claw created a different portal. "I may be leaving now," said Ghoulwyrm, "But mark my words, I will be back. And I won't be beating around the bush next time. I shall taking back that mask, which only I will be able to find, and unleashing its full power on the world. It may take years for me to gain enough of my own power to fully control it, but you have definitely not seen the last of me here." Then Ghoulwyrm dived through the portal and disappeared.

Matt just stared at Ghoulwyrm's closing portal, a little speechless like everyone else. "What the hell was that?" he said

"I think that was the definitive example of what happens when you've pushed someone's patience and temper too far," said Chloe.

"Ok...erm...what were we doing again?" said Matt, a little knocked off balance mentally.

Dao Lon was a bit quicker to recover and sent several dark blasts that knocked the group off their feet. "Even without the Mask of Tarakudo, I have enough to complete the Wuji Ritual," said Dao Lon, "I will not be stopped."

Uncle simply raised his puffer fish at that, sending a green beam out that smashed into the cages holding Jade and Drago. The cages flickered before shattering into wisps of energy. The rest of the scales also dispersed into nothingness, leaving Drago and Jade to fall to the ground. "Important rule of magic," said Uncle, "Never let your attention waver."

"Can we shoot him now?" asked Matt, readying a plasma orb

Chloe shifted into her dragon form before flexing and snapping the chains binding her apart. "Yes, I believe we can," she said with an evil grin.

"Say, we completed our part. What happened to-" began Matt before Draco, Chip, and Chris flew through the wall.

"How much longer do we have to fight those Dark Warrior guys?" asked Draco, clearly exhausted.

"Oh, we're done," said Matt, before aiming the orb so it was an inch from Dao Lon's nose. "Call your mates off or lose your head...your choice," he said pleasantly

"You have not seen the last of me, Chans," said Dao Lon, "I shall have my revenge on you yet." He waved his scepter and disappeared in a puff of blue smoke. Likewise, the Dark Chi Warriors also vanished.

"Oh, for heaven's sake!" yelled Matt, a little too loudly as cracks began to form. "Erm...oops?"

...

Matt was being effectively shunned when the gang arrived back at Section 13's entrance, all of them covered in dirt from the narrow escape from the cave in. "Look...I'm sorry," said Matt, a little annoyed

"You just had to start the cave-in, didn't you?" said Techo.

"You just can't leave without making some kind of mess," said Chloe.

"It was an acci...wow. What did we miss?" said Matt, as they came round the corner to see the vehicle lift door blown open, half a dozen agents milling around

"Looks like someone really wanted out," said Draco.

Chip studied the door and said, "More like someone really wanted in."

Chris looked at the edge of the hole. "V-12 particle cannon...this is NSC issue," he said, looking at the melt.

"Before anyone says it, this is definitely not my fault," said Matt.

"No...you don't have a V-12," said Chris before Captain Black interrupted the group.

"It's about time you all got back," said Captain Black as he walked towards them, "Did you get the mask back?"

"No, it's been banished to some unknown deep part of the earth," said Techo.

"But we did rescue Jade, captured Drago, and Ghoulwyrm's flown the coop," said Kala.

Matt pointed a thumb at Drago who looked ready to kill something. "If I may ask...what did I miss?" he said, looking around at the damage.

"Well, we had a break-in. Don't know who they were, but they emptied the vault," said Captain Black, "They took everything, the demon armors, Shendu, even the talismans."

"Actually, I took the talismans," said Jade, "When I heard that Anti-Uncle will be coming back, I snatched them just in case. Too bad he jumped me before I could hand them out."

"Is there any footage of them?" said Matt, ignoring the talisman comment in an attempt to keep his sanity.

"They blasted most of the cameras, but they did miss one," said Captain Black.

...

The gang watched the silent camera footage. The footage had obviously been recorded after the alert had been called, a half dozen Section 13 agents in combat gear in front of a door. Suddenly, the door they were facing exploded outwards and several troopers in black unmarked combat exo-armor rushed into view, firing plasma rifles at them. "Mercs...might be Black 13. CPS and Disperse Int wouldn't go in for this job...or enjoy it," said Matt, watching coldly as the intruders easily wiped out the resistance before setting a glowing stick on the next door along.

"Whoever they are, they know exactly where they're going," said Chloe, "They're not making any wrong turns or looking in other rooms."

"We're the only..." began Matt before turning on his comm. "Corporal...sweep everyone's gear for bugs, trackers...anything...YES, EVEN MINE!" he said, yelling the last part angrily at an unheard response.

"Uh, Uncle, how far had you gotten on cleansing the demon armor?" asked Jackie.

"I have been busy making banishment potion for Sky Demon," said Uncle shortly.

"Well, at least you won't need that now, right?" asked Kala, "I mean, Ghoulwyrm just gave up and no one else could let the Sky Demon out, right?"

"DON'T TEMPT FATE!" yelled Matt, shoving his hand over Kala's mouth.

"I'm a bit more worried about them taking Shendu," said Techo, "I mean, the armors aren't that hard to move, but Shendu, he's a big statue. They'd need a forklift or something."

"That guy? What are those guys gonna use him for? A novelty paperweight? OW!" said Matt before being hit by Uncle.

"Even imprisoned in stone, Shendu is nothing to trifle about," said Uncle, "Especially if whoever took him have the means to release him."

"_That,_ I doubt," muttered Chloe

"Anyways, those armors are a bigger problem," said Chris, "There's no telling what they're capable of in the wrong hands."

"I know what: trouble. Especially if that rodent Napoleon gets them," said Matt darkly.

"But we haven't seen Anton or OmegaMorph in months," said Kala, "Maybe they've left this world."

"NO...don't jinx it," said Matt with a manic look.

...

Meanwhile, the stolen armor and statue had almost reached their destination.

"Ok...what the hell, man? Why are we art thieves now? Even if one of the art items won't shut up," said one of the mercs.

"I think the presence of said talking artwork is evidence that this is no ordinary art," said another.

"Yeah, nobody said anything about damn magi. I say we charge double," said a third merc darkly

"Uh, I don't think this is the kind of person you want to haggle with," said another.

"So? He's not gonna mess with us. Not with the shit we saw in that place," said the leader confidently.

"Yeah, but what if he wants to silence us, the permanent way?" said the doubtful merc.

"He wouldn't dare," said the leader confidently.

Just then, the intercom spoke, "Sir, we've got a visual on the base. ETA is 10 minutes."

"Ok...let's get ready. McNeil's not a patient man," said the leader.

* * *

At long last an update. I'm sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I've been dealing with a couple of personal things. But now they're taken care of. Anyways, we've got a number of important things going on in this chapter. First of all, Dao Lon Wong has returned with his original Dark Chi Warriors. However, he won't be appearing in this story again. But most importantly, the main quest appears to be over. Ghoulwyrm has left, the Mask of Tarakudo is gone, and Drago is in custody. Everything seems just about wrapped up, right? Think again. There's one chapter left of this story and you can bet that this will be a real show of a finale. It'll be up for Chinese New Year, which would be Monday. So until then, keep on the edge of your seats and please review.


	15. Endings Fleeting

**Voyagers Saga  
**

**Null Chi  
**

**Chapter 15: Endings Fleeting**

Matt was never one for regular reporting, particularly to his superiors. But this time, he felt that it's high time he had a few words with McNeil.

"Whoever these guys were, they were pro's, probably freelance or ex-employees of the main three corps. They knew exactly what they were doing. To be honest I think one of your men tipped them off. My team's gear were all bugged," said Matt to McNeil over the communicator.

"Well, this is certainly unsettling," said McNeil, "We have enough problems without having to worry about mavericks."

"Ok...I'd advise calling for backup," said Matt, professionally.

McNeil nodded and said, "Fine, we'll deal with this. With Ghoulwyrm dealt with, you're not needed anymore. We got a lead on Anton. His ship was sighted leaving the system 2 hours ago. The vapor trail should still be fresh if you hurry."

"Yeah, the thing is, there's a small personal matter that I need to take care of before I can go. I'm hoping it won't take much longer," said Matt.

"Mr. Lynch, I'm giving you an order..." began McNeil only for Matt to say "I'm a merc, not a soldier. I can stay if I want."

"So you're just going to let Anton get away?" asked Anton, "Aren't you forgetting that you owe me?"

"I got Kala back all by myself without your help, colonel. I don't need your help to find Anton. One word: if this traitor sends these guys after me, I will clean house for you. Lynch out," said Matt, coldly before cutting the comm.

McNeil sighed and said, "Matthew Lynch, you have so much potential, but your so-called sense of duty and inability to keep your nose out of others' business is making you too much of a liability." McNeil turned to another terminal, "Sergeant, get Captain Backinar on the line. I have one final job for him."

...

At Uncle's shop, since Ghoulwyrm had left and Drago was in prison, everyone was pooling their efforts into taking care of the last problem: removing the Xian Vang Necklace.

"I still think we should try a laser cutter," commented Techo

"Magic must remove magic," said Uncle, "Besides, you're more likely to cut Jade's head off."

"Well, how else are we gonna get the bloody thing off?" said Techo annoyed.

"Uncle's spell is almost ready," said Uncle, "This shall get the necklace off. Just need to wait five more minutes for the serpent tails to fully secrete their essence."

Draco pushed Techo aside. "Let a pro handle this," he said confidently, grabbing the chain before biting into it...and losing 3 teeth as a result.

"I thought gold was supposed to be a malleable metal," said Chip.

"Gold is not important," said Uncle, "The Vang Xian Necklace was forged with magic, it is not as fragile as normal gold and jade."

"You probably can't cover for her much longer. People are gonna wonder," said Chris.

"Well, the novelty about being a dragon lady's wearing pretty thin for me too," said Jade, "I'd like to be able to wear my old clothes and not worry about flaking scales."

"Patience, Uncle cannot make removal spell any faster," snapped Uncle, having heard this more than once.

"I just hope this will work," said Chloe, "I'm not sure how much more of the scents I can take." Matt, who was wearing the only gas mask, nodded silently, earning a glare from Chloe

"Ha cha!" called Uncle before walking in with an eyedropper full of green potion. Matt chuckled behind the mask as the others all turned interesting colors from the smell. "Now Jade, be very, very still," said Uncle, "This potion is most temperamental. Would probably have not good effect if it made contact with anything else besides necklace."

Everyone on that word dived for the heaviest cover they could find, except for Matt who hadn't heard properly due to the mask. Matt turned as the drop missed and he got a fireball in the face.

"Jade, I told you not to move," said Uncle.

"Sorry, my nose itched," said Jade. Matt just coughed before there was a tap at the door.

"Go away, we are closed for inventory!" snapped Uncle.

"Yeah, I need to check where all my organs are," wheezed Matt.

The tap came again at those words. Matt glared before saying, "I'll deal with it," before stomping over and throwing the door open "The shop's closed," snapped Matt, "Take your business elsewhere."

He stopped at that, seeing nobody there. "Hello?" he said, looking out and both ways down the street. "Stupid kids pulling pranks," he muttered before he heard something above the roof over the door. "Gotcha," he said with a grin, looking up only for him to see a foot heading for his face at high speed. "Wha-" started Matt before the foot connected and all Matt could see for the next five minutes were shooting stars.

Matt came to on the couch in the shop's attic. "Urgh...what hit me? I hate kids," he moaned

"Uh, those weren't kids," said Kala, who was nearby, "Uh, we have some unexpected guests."

Matt sighed. "Oh crap," he muttered before wandering down. "I'd best get read to apologize to McNeil." he said walking out

"McNeil? Matt, I don't think you understand," said Kala.

"Don't worry, I know how to handle this," said Matt, "I just need to smack the guy who dropkicked me first." He opened the door to downstairs before saying, "Ok, who's the chump who kicked me in the face?"

Jackie said desperately, "Really...you don't want to fight this guy.

Matt shrugged. "It's how NSC mercs greet people," he lied

"Mercs? These are monks," said Jackie.

"Huh?" asked Matt before looking over the banister at the lower floor. A group of men with shaved heads wearing yellow robes were all sitting in a circle, the one with the green and gold sash wrapped around his chest was apparently the leader.

Matt just stared before yelling "YOU KICKED ME...JERKS!" before charging them anyway

The monks, who had apparently been meditating, reacted faster than Matt had expected. They immediately jumped and flipped off the walls before sending Matt out the front door with a series of kicks and hand strikes. "You are very rude people," moaned Matt from outside

"Wait, Matt is a friend," said Jackie, "You don't have to attack him."

"He is a dragon, but not a celestial dragon," said the leader of the monks, "And his chi reeks of hostility."

"Hostility? Come over here and say that to my face, you smeghead!" yelled Matt.

"Matt's not evil," said Chloe, "He won't attack unless he has good reason to."

"Like if you jump on my face instead of saying 'hello'," said Matt testily.

"Matt's trustworthy," said Kala as she came downstairs, "There's no reason to antagonize him."

The monks were silent before the leader said, "I apologize, with the fate of the world in such precarious balance, we couldn't take any chances. He might have been one of the demon dragons in disguise."

"Stupid monks," muttered Matt as he limped back inside

"So, are you with those guys in Tibet?" asked Chris.

"No, but they sent word to us about you," said the leader, "We are of a secret order, one that has existed for thousands of years. We have been waiting for the right signs and the time is soon approaching."

"Can you please stop the riddle talk? You're worse than the Chronicler," said Matt, annoyed.

"We have waited for the return of the dragons, for the one who is destined to bring them back from the void they were cast into ages ago," said the lead monk.

"What? How did that happen?" said Jackie.

Matt muttered to Chloe, "Ten creds says that Shendu did it."

The monks all glared at Matt. "We only speak the name of that most deceitful of demons when we have to," said the lead monk, "For he has caused much suffering, long before this time, long before Lo Pei sealed him in stone and removed his stolen powers."

"Ten creds...pay up, sis," said Matt cheerfully

"You mean he stole the talismans?" asked Megan.

"The powers were not meant to be bound in stone," said the lead monk, "The powers of the Chinese Zodiac were meant to be borne by noble animals, true heirs of their ancestors who are worthy to bear the power. At the time, the Demon Sorcerers of the Trigram roamed the Earth, but were tolerated as their absence would create a serious imbalance.

"The Fire Demon always sought an advantage over his siblings. For this reason, he collected many items of power, including one of the nine oni masks. But still, this was not enough for him. He wanted to have the Noble Right to the Dragon's power of combustion. He pled to the Immortal Judges to be next to have it."

"Let me guess, they said he wouldn't get it if he was the last dragon on Earth," said Matt.

The monk nodded and said, "He took them for their word. Of course, he could not eliminate the dragons in the violent way that his ilk would prefer. So instead, he managed to convince his siblings that it would be best to seal away all the Celestial dragons in another realm, where they will not die, but not be able to interact with the world. Some fell, but most were banished."

"What about the Atlanteans? We've seen the outpost they had. The necklace was even found there. They just let it happen?" said Chloe

"We do not know all of what occurred," said the monk, "Just that some of the celestials were able to escape and made an alliance to these Atlanteans. We assume they did not last long, whether by the demons' hands or some other threat, but they managed to make one beacon of hope for the future.

"Even so, the demons eventually succeeded and Shendu gained the Noble Right of the Dragon. And through his acquirement of this, he learned how to steal the other powers. But their banishment of the celestials did not go unpunished. The Eight Immortals were sent out to send the Demon Sorcerers to the Netherworld and the other demon dragons were sent to a void of their own."

"I think we met," said Matt.

"Excuse me?" asked the monk.

"We met Shendu..." said Matt darkly.

"The Fire Demon always seeks gaps to exploit," said the lead monk, "Though the power of the Shadowkhan and the Sheep Talisman, he was able to plot a way back to the Earth, where he was eventually sealed in stone. But the signs soon show that the Dawn of the Dragons is approaching, when the Jade Vanguard will bring the Celestial dragons back to the world."

"Jade Vanguard?" said Matt, raising an eyebrow at Jade and smirking

"Uh, not that it doesn't sound cool, but are you sure about that?" asked Jade, "I mean, I'd hate for it to turn out that you've got the wrong girl."

"The fact that you have opened the box and wear the Xian Vang Necklace is evidence enough," said the lead monk, "but the prophecy may be enough to quell any lingering doubts."

"What prophecy?" said Matt, only for the lead monk to pull out a scroll. The monk unrolled it on the table and the others gathered around to look at it.

"Is that a..." started Jackie.

"A tribute to my awesomeness," said Jade smugly. The scroll depicted how a young girl would travel across the ocean where she would come across many adventures. It told how she would slay Shendu, restore the world after he had rewritten history, fall to the power of shadows but then seal Tarakudo away in his mask. It also told of how she had led a force to defeat Shendu's son, free the guardian of the Lotus Temple, become marked by the Cat of Khartoum, among several other accomplishments. It even stated that the Immortal Dog power would go her pet dog.

Morph, who was also looking, said "Hey...why don't get one? I've done plenty of cool stuff."

Matt commented, "And caused mayhem with it. You're not getting one."

Morph gave a humph of discontent and muttered, "Help save a few dozen different dimensions through time and space and still nobody respects me."

"What was that?" asked Matt.

"Huh?" asked Morph, looking oblivious.

Matt gave Morph a funny look before shrugging and saying, "Just Morph. Ok...how do we get this thing off Jade?"

The lead monk gave Matt an odd look and said, "Take it off? Why would you want to take it off?"

"Well, call me old fashioned but it's a bit early for dragons. Some of this stuff in the scroll hasn't happened yet," said Matt, looking at a few unfamiliar words before pulling the scroll out of range of Jade. "NO...no paradoxes."

"But she's wearing the Xian Vang Necklace," said the lead monk, "Surely that must mean that the time of the dragons' return is nigh."

"Your clocks are fast then," said Chloe, more to herself then anything.

"Anyways, Jade's too young for this," said Jackie, "She's really only twelve."

The monks looked at each other before another knock was heard. Matt held up a hand, before putting on a combat helmet. "Not this time," he muttered, stomping over to the door and throwing it open. "Yes?" he said annoyed.

He didn't see anyone at first before glancing down and seeing a rooster perched on top of a large pig. Matt turned back inside and called, "Hey, who ordered the pork and chicken?" The two animals gave Matt an annoyed look before pushing past Matt. "Oi...get back here!" began Matt.

"Howdy there," said a voice. Matt turned to see what looked like an old farmer, "Don't reckon I've seen your face here before."

Jackie made his way to the door and said, "Farmer McDonald, what brings you here?"

"The big grape festival in San Diego," said McDonald as he walked in, closing the door behind him, "Thought I might drop by and say hi."

Matt just stared before hearing another knock and growling as his already-dramatically shortened temper began to run short. "Yes? Can I help you?" he said throwing the door open.

To his surprise, Viper was there. "Hey, Matt," she said, "Are you still sticking around?"

"Hey...come on in. It's a real party in here." Matt said sarcastically. He closed the door just after Viper walked in only for yet another knock to occur. He swung it open with a look that would send any sensible sentient fleeing for the hill. "YES?" he snapped.

A tall man in a blue suit and wearing a red and yellow mask stood there. "Ah, are the Chans in?" he asked in a Mexican accent.

"Oh for heaven's sake... Just come in, I no longer care who you are. Get in here," said Matt, gloomily.

Viper was telling to Jackie, "Yes, security consulting can have its boring parts, but at least my job took me here."

Then Jackie noticed the masked man and said, "El Toro? What are you doing here?"

"I have a match in town," said El Toro, "Some estupido wrestler thinks he can challenge El Toro and get an easy fight. But I shall give him a run for his dinero."

Yet another knock was heard and everyone stopped as Matt yelled "THAT'S IT!" before throwing the door and stomping outside.

However, this visitor was not anything like the others had been like. For starters, it wasn't human. It looked a lot like some emaciated gargoyle with dark grey skin. The most notable thing about it were the three long spikes on its head, its long pointed ears, its glowing red eyes, a goatee-like spike on it chin, and the enormous wings growing from its back. The only thing it wore was a grey loincloth from which a lizard-like tail swished under.

Matt gave the thing an annoyed look and said, "Listen, pal, we're really busy right now."

"Don't worry, I don't plan on staying very long," said the creature in a husky voice before glancing over his shoulder, "I just need to-"

"Forget it, we've got enough people in here," snapped Matt, "I don't care who or what you are, you're not just walking in."

"If you must know, I am Hsi Wu the Sky Demon," said the creature, "And I have urgent business here so-"

"I don't care if you're the Emperor or President of China," snapped Matt, "We have too many unexpected guests to deal with right now so just take a number. You'll get to come in when we have enough room in here, not before. Good day!" Matt then slammed the door on the demon's surprised face and stomped back inside.

"Who was that?" asked Jackie.

Matt shrugged. "Some guy called Hsi Wu the Sky Demo-...D'OH!" he said stopping midsentence as his brain recommunicated vital information to him.

"Ai ya! The Sky Demon? Here?" yelled Uncle, "Jackie, get the flute! Prepare chi ingredients. McDonald, get animals off Uncle's furniture!"

Matt glared and walked back to the door before simply kicking it back open to reveal Hsi Wu. However, something was off, the demon looked worried and was peering around. Matt however didn't take this in as he went hybrid and picked up Hsi Wu...by the neck. "Good, you're in just the right weight class to pummel," he said.

"Matt...that doesn't really work, remember?" said Techo before Matt turned to glare. "Erm...go right ahead."

Matt turned back to the object of his future violence. "Any last words?" he said, twitching.

"I...need...help..." wheezed the batlike demon.

Matt stared. "You gotta be kidding me...serious. You think I'm that stupid?" he said, grinning.

"Listen, I've just escaped captivity," said Hsi Wu, "You don't know what it was like back there."

"Yeah, don't worry, you'll be back soon enough. Hey, Uncle Chan...is that portal ready?" said Matt, grinning before calling over his shoulder.

"Don't rush Uncle," called Uncle's voice, "Not easy to work when shop is turned into a hotel!"

Matt turned, grinning. "Good, I've been itching to tenderize one of you guys," he said evilly before looking up to see several dozen troopers in NSC armor running into view.

"Aw...always when I'm about to have fun. Ok...we got this," he called before one of the troopers. "We found the runner...and Target alpha." Matt stopped, remembering the last time he'd had that particular nickname...

"Uh, maybe we better take this inside," said Matt, backing towards the door. Matt tossed Hsi Wu unceremoniously through the door and shut it just as the squad lifted their rifles to fire.

Uncle was obviously not pleased. "Why did you bring in Sky Demon?" he snapped, "Uncle doesn't want demons coming in through door. One more thing, it is waaaay too crowded in here!"

McDonald looked at Hsi Wu and said, "Now that there's the biggest bat I've ever seen."

Matt was looking around desperately, apparently not listening before peering out a window. "Matt, what's going on?" demanded Chloe.

"Trouble, lots of trouble," said Matt, watching as the troopers fanned out in front of the shop.

"Don't tell me he's got a whole bunch of Shadowkhan out there," said Chris.

"No...our type of trouble," said Matt, before going wide eyed. "GET DOWN!" he yelled, diving down before a blue bolt of energy shattered the window

Everyone quickly got down on the floor, although Uncle still shouted, "You break it, you buy it!"

The wall was quickly turned into a colander as the troopers outside opened up. "I can only really apologize for this!" yelled Matt to uncle over the noise.

"First Uncle's shop is turned into crowded hotel, now it's being torn apart!" snapped Uncle.

"Well, it's not like it could get any worse," said Viper.

A voice was heard, "Someone get a thermal grenade ready."

Matt glared at Viper. "Somebody ALWAYS tempts fate," he said annoyed before transferring the glare to Hsi Wu. "I really hate you now," he said.

"I didn't mean to bring them all here," said Hsi Wu, "I've been trying to get them off my tail."

"Yes...I can see how well that's going!" yelled Techo sarcastically.

Just then, a black portal opened up. "Oh great, now what?" said Matt, clearly down to his last shred of patience.

NegaMorph materialized, looking visibly irked. "Ok, I can't stand that bloodsucker any longer. You watch the little monster for a few hours," he said before holding up a struggling Chupy. NegaMorph noticed everyone on the ground "Ok...what did I mi-?" he began before a pulse shot made the top of his head explode. "Ok...who'd you piss off?" said NegaMorph's mouth.

"Don't know, but I think they really want us," said Matt, "And they don't seem to be too particular about 'dead or alive'."

At that point the door opened and a trooper ran in. "Freeze you-ARGH!" said the trooper only for the already-annoyed NegaMorph to blast him back out again.

Just then, Chupy managed to wiggle out of NegaMorph's grasp and ran out the door. "Chupy! Don't be a hero!" called Morph.

Matt just covered his ears. "Oh, I'm not worried about Chupy," said Matt as the screams outside started.

"Just what is going on out there?" asked Megan before looking through a window. She turned a little green and turned away. "Oh, that's just awful," she said.

Matt slowly walked over to the doors remains and shut it. "Ok...I think it's time bat boy talked," he said, a little loudly to drown out Chupy's 'heroics'.

Hsu Wu glared and said, "I am a demon sorcerer. I demand the respect due."

The monks surrounded Hsi Wu, ready to take him down in a moment's notice. "You should be rotting in the netherworld with the rest of your kind," said the lead monk.

"I could just cut his head off," volunteered Matt

Uncle smacked the back of Matt's head and said, "Do you have faulty memory? There is a balance that must be maintained. Hsi Wu cannot be killed or else a void will open for a new stronger evil to fill."

Matt looked at Hsi Wu who was glaring at everyone. "How come he's not trying to tear our heads off?" muttered Matt before glaring at Hsi Wu, "Well, bat boy?"

"Well, frankly, I wouldn't go to you people, but there's not that many who can help with my problem," said Hsi Wu, "It started a few weeks ago. I was trying to kill some time in the netherworld when these Shadowkhan appeared to me. I assumed, from what my brothers and sisters said, that this was that spindly dracolich's doing and it was my turn to be free."

"Probably not, he quit a few days ago," joked Matt.

"Yes, I figured as much when I emerged from the portal and found myself being surrounded by these men with strange weapons and black armor," said Hsi Wu.

Matt stopped at that. "Hold on a sec," he said before walking out and coming back with a helmet covered in what looked like slobber. "This helmet?" he said, trying not to barf at what Chupy had done outside.

"Exactly," said Hsi Wu, "Then they forced me into a cage like some common bird. They said something about me being a prime specimen and how they'll get useful data out of me."

Matt looked at the helmet. "Ok...does this look like the getup that the security at Antarctica base had?" he said casually.

"Eh, I don't pay much attention to armor details," said NegaMorph.

Chloe however said, "Definitely. Wait...how the hell did McNeil get batty over there out?"

Matt winced and said, "With an imperial ripper device we gave him?"

"And it looks like he's been taking notes on Ghoulwyrm's summoning rituals," said Chris.

Techo shook his head. "Ripper just need a frequency...and we've been kind enough to supply it with each report," he said gloomily.

"But why would McNeil want to capture Hsi Wu?" asked Jackie.

"Any number of reasons: research, weapon development, I'd even say bio-tech R&D if it hadn't been outlawed after Executive Genetics was liquidated," said Techo.

"Well, I can tell you that living there wasn't any better than being in the void," said Hsi Wu, "At least back there I didn't get needles stuck in me."

"Great...ok then. Personally, a part of me is saying 'why should I care?' McNeil's boys obviously kept you locked up," said Matt, sounding bored.

"Perhaps because this McNeil has unpleasant plans for you as well," said Hsi Wu, "That is, if you're the 'meddling mercenaries' he has been talking about."

Matt stopped and Kala was sure frost formed around him as he spoke. "Meddling...mercenaries?" he said icily, turning back to give the Sky Demon a look promising pure violence.

"Yes, apparently, you've been sticking your collective noses into too much of his business to be allowed to just leave," said Hsi Wu, "Though where you'd be going is beyond me, and I'm the Sky Demon."

"I'll kill him...WHICH WAY?" said Matt, snapping.

Kala rolled her eyes before saying to Viper, "I'll say this for that demon; he knows how to steer an audience."

Just then, Chupy trotted in, looking very happy with himself. "That's one feisty anteater ya got there," said McDonald.

"Oh, he's not an anteater," said NegaMorph, "He's a chupacabra." Immediately, Eggbert and Mordecai gave cries of fright and ran into the kitchen.

El Toro glared at Chupy who was sitting in the doorway with his tongue hanging out like a puppy who'd had an accident in a pin machine before charging at it with a roar. Matt and Chloe managed to grab the wrestler. "NO...He's...tame...mostly..." struggled Matt.

Chupy sniffed the air before running over and jumping onto Tohru's leg. "Ah! Get it off me!" shouted Tohru as he hopped up and down, trying to shake Chupy off. Of course, since he was so large, he made everything in the shop rattle.

"CHUPY...BAD...THING. What have I told you about eating friends?" yelled Matt, grabbing Chupy and dragging him off, only for Chupy to jump on him instead.

"Ok, so he likes sucking blood," said Chloe, "But he's really not that bad."

"He the same kinda monster that attacks livestock?" asked McDonald.

"Only goats," said Kala, "And there aren't any goats here."

On cue a group of goats ran out of the kitchen where Morph was and out into the street, in sheer terror. "MORPH!" yelled Chloe, only for Morph to say "What? It's Chupy's lunch time."

"Well, that would explain a lot," said Megan.

"This begs the question. We can't do anything about McNeil. He's a bloody colonel in the NSC military. This isn't some CEO or mad scientist or an empire facility," said Techo

"Well, we have to do something since he's planning on doing something very unpleasant to us," said Chris.

Just then, there was a beeping sound and McDonald glanced at his watch. "Whoa, I'm gonna be late. Jackie, keep an eye on Eggbert and Mordecai, I'll be back in a couple of hours." He then walked out of the shop as if nothing important happened.

"That is one laid back dude. He'd give Xander a run for his creds," said Chris numbly.

Matt, however, said, "Chris is right. We need to at least go and get some info on what McNeil's doing."

"Sounds like you're in over your heads," said Viper.

"Perhaps you could use some assistance from the Yay Team," said El Toro.

"The what?" asked Chloe.

"He means the J Team," said Jade.

"We could probably use the backup," said Kala, carefully to Matt.

"You think we can just bring all these people to a secure NSC base in Antarctica?" asked Matt.

"We'll throw in the Talismans," said Jade.

Matt seemed to start thinking about it. He'd wanted a turn with these Talismans for ages. Jackie noticed this and said, "Matt...I'm sure you can handle this by yourself. It's too dangerous for us to go."

"Did I mention that McNeil has been expanding his army?" said Hsi Wu, "Namely the Shadowkhan that Shendu uses so much plus the tribe that brought me here."

Uncle got interested at that and said "Which Khan did this 'McNeil' use? The Bat tribe?" Hsi Wu nodded, smirking that the chi wizard was asking him for information. Uncle turned to Tohru at that and snapped, "Tohru, boil rice."

"Uh, I don't think we have time for lunch," said Megan.

"What lunch? Uncle needs Japanese rice to make banishing spell work."

"What? You're not sending back to the netherworld, are you?" asked Hsi Wu.

"You may be fugitive from shady colonel, but you are still a Demon Sorcerer," said Uncle.

"Hey, I helped you," complained Hsi Wu.

"It does seem a bit...ungrateful," said Kala.

"Ai-ya. Are you all crazy? He is demon sorcerer!" complained Uncle.

Matt commented "...and the only guy who can stop McNeil's new Khan from slicing us into bite-sized chunks."

The lead monk frowned and said, "He is one of the demons who banished the Celestials. He does not belong in this world."

NegaMorph glanced at him and asked, "Hey, what's with the skinhead group?"

Matt simply put his face in his hand as the monks turned to look at NegaMorph and proceeded to demonstrate the finer points of martial arts on him. "He's not a demon, just a warped clone of a genetic experiment," said Matt.

The monks immediately stopped before bowing to the half-dazed NegaMorph. "Apologies." said the lead monk to NegaMorph who replied in a distant voice "That's ok, Mr. Flooby."

Hsi Wu looked at NegaMorph's mangled form and said, "I wondered what he was. He looks worse than those abominations McNeil was making from my blood."

Matt stopped at that, "Ok...now we really need to go and deal with this. We'll banish Bat Boy AFTER we deal with McNeil."

"Then we shall be keeping a very close eye on him," said the lead monk.

"Who invited you lot?" asked Chloe.

"We have sworn to protect the Jade Vanguard," said the lead monk, "Where she goes, we must follow."

"What? Who says Jade will be going?" asked Jackie.

"Name one time you've been able to keep me from coming along," said Jade.

"Plus we're gonna need all the heavy hitters we can get," said Chris.

"But...but..." started Jackie.

"Jackie, this is bigger than just keeping Jade out of trouble," said Matt, "McNeil has an army of Shadowkhan, two tribes, access to the latest in NSC technology, and he's been using the blood of Hsi Wu for all kinds of twisted experiments. And I'll bet my meal ticket that it was his goons that swiped Shendu and the demon armors." Jackie seemed to deflate a little at that.

"Alright, people, bundle up," said Jade, "Cause the J-Team's headed for the South Pole."

Matt said, "Hey, this is my show. I will not be put in second place by Jade..."

...

Matt sulked at the back of the North Stars' briefing room, the cruiser already half way to Antarctica, muttering, "I can't believe they put her in charge."

"Sorry, 'Chosen One of the Celestial Dragons' ranks above 'mercenary captain'," said Chip.

"Shut up, Chip. Last time I let you add your gear to our living allowance," said Matt, angrily before there was a beep on his comm.

"Sir...nav here...there's something weird going on here."

"Virtually nothing isn't 'weird' anymore," said Matt.

"Sir...we're almost on the facility...we got no comm. traffic whatsoever," said the officer on the other end.

"So?" asked Matt, "That's probably a good thing."

"If we're marked hostile, we shoulda been shot at by now," said the nav officer, icily.

"True, this trip has been running too smoo-" started Matt before clapping a hand over his mouth. 'Don't jinx it, don't jinx it,' he thought.

...

The North Star had landed on the main landing pad outside the facility entrance. Matt was quick to notice the difference from last time. An assault APC sat near the entrance, its turret and main windscreen smashed and energy rifle clips, all used lay in the snow.

"Looks like someone beat us to the party," said Matt. Matt looked at a half-hidden stain on the side of the APC. "Techo, do you remember Sy-Yong, the bad feeling you got when I took the contract?" he said, cautiously.

"Yeah, every time I think back to that, I tell myself 'I should have turned it down then and there'," said Techo.

"I'm getting a feeling similar to yours," said Matt, worried before hitting the open button.

Chris said, "Ok...erm...J-Team, if they've already been attacked, security will not be in an 'ask questions' mood. It gets hectic, let us draw the fire."

"Who attacked first?" asked Jackie.

"This coulda been anything. We made alot of enemies in New Orleans...maybe a Combine team?" said Chris before Techo finished opening the bulkhead door. The room beyond had originally been a security checkpoint for vehicles and staff. Now it had doubled up as a losing battle. The scene immediately brought back memories of Sy-Yong to most of Matt's team. Security troopers were scattered around, clearly dead from their wounds.

"Hey, Sky Guy," said Chloe, "Did you see anything...significant when you were escaping this place? Anything that may relate to this?"

"No. There was a battle here. When I left their only concern was to capture me," said Hsi Wu disdainfully. He was extremely annoyed to be wearing the same tazer collar that Drago had been forced to wear at New Orleans.

"Maybe the rest turned chicken after the first wave and left?" suggested Draco. Eggbert, who was perched atop Mordecai, gave an annoyed cluck and peck Draco on the head. "Ow," he muttered before glaring at the rooster, "Tell me again why we're bringing the white meats?"

"Because they brought those talisman thingies," said Matt in reply before calling out to one of the North Star troopers. "Sergeant Higgs, I want a team here when we go in. I do not want to be trapped with whatever did this."

"Right sir," said Higgs, saluting.

Matt looked around. "Ok, let's go. Techo, call the lift," he said.

Techo pressed the button and fixed his gun on the door. "There has got to be some bad guys waiting to kill us as soon as it arrives," he said.

"Almost certainly...can someone explain why Jade brought a soft toy?" said Chloe, looking at the toy Jade was fiddling with

"He may be soft, but he hits hard," said Jade as she slipped something into the back of it.

Suddenly, it flashed with light before floating up and saying, "Evil on the loose, watch out for Super Moose!"

"You have gotta be kidding me," said Matt, numbly

"That's the Rat Talisman power, isn't it?" said Chip, "Of all the things you could have chosen to bring to life, you picked a stuffed moose?"

"I've given up questioning this verse's logic," said Matt, gloomily as a section of the floor opened up to let the lift up...and something slumped over another dead guard.

"What was that?" asked Megan.

Matt slowly walked up to it and kicked it off of the other body, jumping back out of range. It wore the remains of a patient gown, bat wings having grown from its back and the skin turned a charcoal grey color. "Let me guess, a product of your blood," said Matt to Hsi Wu.

The two guards on the Sky Demon jumped back as he flew into a rage. "HOW DARE THEY...MAKE THIS MOCKERY OF ME?" he roared before yelping as the collar shocked him.

"Temper, temper," said Chloe, "A little copyright infringement's not worth get fried over."

"Yeah...shut up bat-boy," said Matt, annoyed.

"This is more serious than Uncle thought," said Uncle, "I will have to make many cleansing spells for this."

"I don't think so, that thing died pretty efficiently from good old-fashioned weaponry," said Matt

"But it is not likely to be the only one," said Uncle.

"That's why we have lots of ammo." said Techo, cheerfully

"All life is precious," said the head monk, "It should not be taken unless absolutely necessary."

"What about if it's trying to chew your head off?" said Techo

"We should subdue, not slay," said the monk, "Suppose that your sister were transformed into one of these creatures?"

Matt stopped at that before looking at Chloe. "Ok, nonlethal rounds," said Matt, "But if things get to be too much, we take off the kid gloves."

...

The lower levels were worse. Most of the lights had been burnt out and judging from the bodies, the security teams had put up a fight. "Well, look at it this way," said Chip, "If they've killed off most of each other, there's less for us to fight."

On cue a speaker came into life. "Captain Lynch, I didn't expect to meet you here," said the voice of McNeil.

"Well, when someone puts a hit on me, I take it rather personally," replied Matt.

"Sorry, just business. The work I'm doing here will save the NSC from the empire permanently," said McNeil over the comm., not sounding at all sorry.

"Yeah, I think that contrasts with the crimes against humanity I'm seeing," said Matt.

"Please, these people were all volunteers. They knew all the risks. This research is needed. The news isn't mentioning how we're still losing ground to the Emperor," said McNeil sounding angry over the comm.

"Even so, this is just too extreme," said Matt, "We're pulling the plug on this place."

"No, what you've done is sabotage a facility, stolen a high value subject and killed 125 NSC troopers that were under my command. So sad when a person relives a horror so vividly that they try to recreate it," said McNeil with a chuckle.

"Oh please, what kind of smeghead would buy that tripe?" said Matt.

"The NSC council will," said McNeil.

"Yeah, those guys are pretty big smegheads- Ow!" said NegaMorph before receiving a smack to the back of his head.

"The base sent out a signal for backup as soon as I had to initiate a lockdown. As soon as they find you holding the smoking gun so to speak..." said McNeil before sighing sarcastically. "Such a shame..."

"Not if they find you holding the stolen merchandise," said Matt.

This time the laugh was crueler. "Oh please, you're not exactly the NSC's poster boy," he said.

"But I'm still better looking than you are," said Matt.

"You're gonna die here." said McNeil before cutting off the comm.

"Well, that takes care of the pleasantries," said Matt, "Chip, Techo, we're gonna need all the dirt we can dig up. Go hack their databases and get their files."

"They couldn't have smashed every console," said Matt, "Try the communications center, it has to have something."

"They didn't. These were burner charges; perfect for making sure enemies or scavengers can't steal any data," said Chris, coldly.

"Chip, don't you have a detector for available computers for you to hack?" asked Matt.

"No, but that's not a bad idea," said Chip, "I'll have to put a little research into that and maybe I can put it into my next update."

"How about right now?" demanded Matt.

"Sorry, I'll have to find it the old-fashioned way," said Chip.

"Crap," said Matt before an alarm rung.

"Alert. Magi non-human detected in facility. Lockdown commencing. Fleet support en-route. ETA: 25 minutes," said a PA.

"Uh, guys, we have a deadline now," said Chloe.

The comm. on Matt's computer turned on at that. "Cap...we got a problem. That asshole, Drago was on board. He killed three of us and went down in the lift before it sealed," said the voice of Sergeant Higgs.

"What? Are you kidding me?" snapped Matt, "He's supposed to be locked up in Section 13. How did he get aboard?"

"An armed attack's a perfect distraction. I think you quoted that for a manual, boss," said Higgs.

Matt swallowed about a dozen choice curse words before saying, "We'll keep an eye out for him. Just make sure the ship's ready to go when we get back."

"Roger that, sir," said Higgs before the comm. cut off.

Matt turned to the others and said, "Bad news, Drago's gatecrashed this party."

"Crap...can't we get a fucking break?" said Techo angrily. On cue, one of the demon hybrids hiding in a side vent leapt out at him.

"I've got this," said Draco before breathing ice at it.

Techo just screamed, "NOT ME...HIM!"

Tohru picked up a nearby piece of rubble and chucked at the hybrid, hitting the back of its head. The hybrid just turned to snarl before its eyes glowed and its shadow seemed to spread out. "Oh...please tell me that it isn't..." began Chloe.

The shadow spread to the wall before a figure stepped out of it. It looked like a Ninja Shadowkhan, but its arms and legs were bare, showing dark blue skin and sharp talons. A pair of large bat wings sprouted from its back.

"BLAST IT!" yelled Matt, raising his rifle

Jackie quickly lifted his hand, which had the Dragon Talisman in it, and shot a combustion blast at the Shadowkhan.

"Bloody Nora!" yelled Techo before yelping as the hybrid went for him again.

Then Tohru pointed the Monkey Talisman at the hybrid and shot a blast. The hybrid was covered with light before it shrank down into a kitten. Techo stared at the red-eyed kitty with a gulp before tossing it into a waste paper bin in the corner. Matt just stared. "That is some...WEIRD...stuff," he said.

"Like we haven't seen weirder," said NegaMorph, "There's plenty more of those guys left so I suggest we keep moving."

...

McNeil watched the group on the camera feed move down the corridor. "Are you sure we're locked down?" he said to a trooper.

"I've checked all the possible openings," said the trooper, "They won't be getting in."

"What about their ship on the surface?" said McNeil, watching as the feed switched to another camera showing the team.

The trooper shook his head, "The prototypes shorted out remote locking. We can't lock its systems down."

"Then we'll have to make sure they don't get back to their ship," said McNeil, "How close are they to the prototypes' nest?"

"Cameras are down in sectors 4, 8 and 12. They're almost in sector 12," said the trooper.

"In that case, lift the lockdown on sector 12," said McNeil.

The trooper looked nervous before saying, "Sir...that's pretty close to the rui..." before McNeil glared. The trooper gulped and said, "Lifting lockdown."

...

The hybrids seemed to have halted their attack for the moment, that didn't make the group feel any more secure. "I knew there was something creepy about McNeil," muttered Matt, peering round a corner.

"Yeah, he gave me a bad feeling from the start," said Kala.

"We shoulda left those monks at the ship," said Techo quietly, looking at the monks waling confidently in front, "They're gonna get themselves killed."

"Better them than me," said Hsi Wu. On cue, the collar zapped the demon, causing him to let out a demonic swearword that superheated the wall in front of him

"Neat," said Megan, "Where can I learn to curse like that?"

"Not till you're his age," said NegaMorph quickly.

"I'm worried about this place being built above Atlantean ruins," said Draco, "I mean, what else could McNeil have dug up there besides that box?"

"Yeah...Atlanteans weren't exactly good at clearing up after themselves. And if they left that necklace, who knows what else was here," said Matt, darkly

...

Meanwhile, in a relatively-untouched parted of the ruins, a certain young dragon was searching for a room. "I know it's here somewhere. I can practically smell it," he said to himself. The hybrids hadn't even tried to attack him, turning tail whenever he ran across them

Drago looked at the walls and said, "There's probably some hidden door here. But where did they put it?" He started patting the walls for anything like a doorknob or something. After a minute of bashing sections for a switch, the already ancient materials finally gave up and cracked, falling to pieces to reveal the room beyond.

"Aha," he said as he walked into the room. The walls depicted carvings about the war between the Celestial dragons and the Demon Sorcerers. But what really interested him was a carving of a human with a sword defeating Shendu and the Chinese sword that was buried to its hilt in the stone wall. "The sword of the Immortals," said Drago, "They hid it pretty well here. No wonder I never sensed it."

There was a humming at that. "Security breach...activating auxiliary defenses," said a voice.

"Oh crud," said Drago, "Better hurry this up." He pulled at the fire demon chi in the sword towards him, but it seemed to resist him.

A cracked crystal was lowering from the ceiling, glowing threateningly. "Unidentified...you are trespassing in an Atlantean storage facility. This is punishable by molecular disintegration," said the voice pleasantly

"Guess I'll be taking this meal to go," said Drago before grabbing the sword's hilt and pulling.

The crystal immediately fired a translucent beam and it was lucky for Drago that the crack had thrown off the aim as the beam hit a device holding the sword down, vaporizing vital components and releasing its charge. "Hope this thing's still sharp," said Drago before drawing the sword out and swinging it at the crystal. The crystal immediately exploded at that.

"This is a good sword," said Drago before concentrating on the fire demon chi within. The blade started blazing with demonic fire as Drago could feel his own fire power increase dramatically. "And this is very bad chi," he said evilly.

The sound of distant gunfire coupled with the shrieks of the hybrids got Drago's attention. "Looks the party's finally starting up," said Drago as he walked out of the room, "We're gonna have one swell roast."

...

Matt blasted a hybrid backwards with a plasma ball, causing the last remaining conscious to run away. "Finally," he muttered

"Just how many of these hybrids did McNeil make?" asked Chloe.

"Too many," said Matt, blasting a hybrid in the behind as a motivation to keep away.

"Why are you complaining?" asked Uncle, "Uncle will have to make a cleansing spell for all of them."

"No, this wasn't magic. This was bloody bio-tech. I bet you a thousand creds it's based off whatever research was done at Sy-Yong," said Techo nastily

"Yeah, you can't undo science with magic," said Chip.

"Yes, you can," said Draco.

"Can not," said Chip.

"Can too," said Draco.

"Can not."

"Can too."

"Can not."

"Can too."

"EVERYONE SHUT UP!" yelled Matt before noticing the shocked silence and adding, "Thank you. We need to get out of here before that fleet turns up. If they find us here, they'll shoot us if we're lucky."

"Then how comes we are heading towards the ruins?" asked Jackie.

"Uh, because it's most likely where we'll find where they've stashed Shendu and the armors," said Matt.

"You don't know where to go, do you?" said Chloe flatly.

"Quiet, I always know where I'm going," said Matt, a little too quickly

"I say we just make a shortcut," said NegaMorph before turning to Mordecai and said, "Hey, Porky, how about making us a few new doors?" Mordecai looked at NegaMorph with a bored expression before his eyes glowed and two beams of heat energy blasted NegaMorph into and through the wall behind him.

"Uncle NegaMorph? Are you okay?" called Megan.

Through the hole, NegaMorph's voice shouted out, "Who's bright idea was it to give heat vision to the pig?"

"He's fine," said Chloe.

Matt climbed through to find what looked like a storage room/laboratory. A dead technician in the corner indicated that they had not managed to clear everything away, confirmed when a hissing noise said, "You again."

Matt turned to see a familiar statue propped against the wall. "Shendu, for a guy frozen in stone, you sure do travel a lot," said Matt.

"Silence, you fool," hissed Shendu.

"No, silence, lawn ornament," replied Matt with pure glee.

Then Hsi Wu climbed through the hole. "So, this is what you looked like over 900 years," said the Sky Demon with amusement.

"Silence, get me out of here," grumbled Shendu, clearly unhappy.

"Ok, the Section 13 vault already misses you gracing it with your presence," said Matt, cheekily.

"Brother Wu, if we are to regain our freedom and halt the return of the Celestials, we must join forces now," said Shendu.

"Oh, please...do try," said Matt, dialing up the collar to maximum power on his wrist comp.

"I'm more interested in eliminating these abominations that are smearing my name," said Hsi Wu.

"The creature that tore the mortal apart?" said Shendu, curiously, "I did wonder why they held such a resemblance."

"Well, we're on a tight schedule here," said Matt, "So we need to grab the evidence and get moving. El Toro, think you can handle the fossil?"

El Toro glared at Shendu. "I will guard him with my life," he said, easily lifting up the complaining Shendu with the power of the Ox Talisman.

Chloe opened up a crate and pulled out her demon armor. "Here's the rest of the stuff. Guess they never got a chance to start researching it," she commented.

"Well, we got Shendu, we got all seven sets of armor, let's hit the road," said Draco.

"Seven? I thought there were eight demons," said Viper.

"As if Bat Boy got a chance to make an apprentice," said Megan.

"I did actually. A female human caught trespassing before I escaped this place. She put up quite a fight when they dragged her in," said Hsi Wu with a cruel grin.

"Say what?" asked Kala.

"Why would they let you make an apprentice?" asked NegaMorph, "I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be dumb enough to keep two sky demons in cages."

"Apparently, their first test subjects couldn't handle the power of my full blood," said Hsi Wu, "So they wanted a more 'diluted' version."

Matt pushed his plasma rifle into Hsi Wu's face with a worrying amount of calmness. "Where were you kept?" he said in a tone that promised that unless information appeared, Hsi Wu would find out intimately what kind of ammo was in Matt's rifle.

"Er, not near here," said Hsi Wu, "A couple floors up."

"Let's go, I'm not leaving anyone to McNeil's idea of 'research'." said Matt, coldly.

"Ai ya! There is no time!" snapped Uncle, "We cannot make detour while carrying the artifacts."

"Guess we'll be splitting up then," said Chloe, "Me, Matt, and Techo can find this apprentice, anyone else coming?"

Viper said, "It's obvious you don;t know how to sneak around. I can help you get this apprentice in and out before this McNeil knows we were there."

"I better help out too," said Megan, "It'll help to have a bit of magical backup."

"Super Moose is ready for action," said Super Moose.

"I'll get the others back to the ship," said Chris, "Just don't take long."

"Just watch out. Drago's still down here somewhere," said Matt, carefully.

...

The side journey was proving to be more difficult than Matt had thought, mostly because Hsi Wu really didn't want to go back.

"For the last time, move or be shot in the arse!" yelled Techo, firing a shot at Hsi Wu's feet for emphasis.

"Winged things don't like cages," said Hsi Wu, "I'm pretty sure you can understand that."

"I've been in more than a few. But if anyone deserves a cage, it's you. MOVE IT!" said Matt, yelling the last part.

"Maybe he needs more motivation," said Chloe, electricity crackling in her hand.

A loud hissing was heard from behind. "Uh, that's pretty motivating," said Megan.

Matt turned, but instead of seeing a hybrid, he saw a grey gas. The gas flowed over a roach which, with a crackle, turned as grey as the gas and stopped moving. "Petrification gas...MOVE!" said Matt, pushing Hsi Wu into a hopping run, round a corner and into a dead end made by a heavy duty airlock.

"Uh, Techo, mind opening the lock?" asked Kala.

Techo ran to the front, the plug-in interface for his wrist comp out before looking worried. "Bloody dark age tumbler locks." he said.

Matt stared, "You're kidding. You can hack super computers but you can't pick a lock?"

Techo turned annoyed and said, "Name the last time we had to."

Matt turned to Megan and said, "Megan, know a lockpicking spell?"

"No," said Megan.

"Argh!" snapped Matt.

"Relax, I've got it," said Viper, taking a pick out of one of her pockets.

Chloe peered round a corner. "Hurry up or we're all garden ornaments," she said urgently, spotting the gas almost at the corner.

"Just a minute," said Viper as she started fiddling with the lock.

"Don't think we have that long," said Kala.

"Antler Action!" shouted Super Moose before spinning in the air. The air movement created blew the gas back, but it was still coming, albeit slower.

"Warning...anomalous air current...increasing pressure to security gas," said the computer's voice.

"Viper, hurry," said Chloe.

"Almost got it," said Viper.

"Alert: Unauthorized airlock access. Security teams sector 15. Lethal force authorized," said the same voice as with a click, the airlock began to open. The gang quickly pushed against the door, making it open faster.

Matt finally kicked Hsi Wu in and dived in after him. "GO, GO, GO!" he yelled, checking everyone had followed before hitting the emergency close button, causing the door to slam shot like a 3 ton guillotine.

Megan gave a sigh of relief and said, "That was close."

Matt was about to agree before three troopers ran round the corner. "There they are," said the leader urgently.

"No, this is going to be close," said Matt.

...

The others didn't have it so easy either. Apparently, the hybrids thought they had a better chance now that Matt, Chloe, and Kala were gone. Fortunately, the group still had Talisman power. Chris watched Tohru zap another bunch of hybrids with the Monkey Talisman. "Ok, seriously, what's with the kittens?" asked Chris.

"I like kittens," said Tohru.

"Look...we're almost at the lift. Techo's trained a few of the crew in hacking. They should be able to open the lift back up again. We could leave Drago down here. It's not like Shendu-fus will care," said Chris with a smirk.

"Though my son has done numerous things to earn my wrath," said Shendu, "I highly doubt you will be able to escape him. He did not come to this place just to attack you."

"Oh really? Why don't you enlighten us?" said Chris, annoyed.

"Surely you don't think the Vang Xian Necklace was the only artifact kept here," said Shendu.

"Talk or I knock chips off," said Chris, angrily.

"Knock me off what?" asked Chip.

Chris sighed. "Ok...Talk or get smashed and damn what anyone says bout a void. In my opinion, you're too risky to keep breathing," he said .

"Statues don't need to breathe," said Chip.

"Shut up, Chip," said Chris darkly, glaring at Shendu.

"Let's just say what goes around, comes around," said Shendu.

"Enough riddle talk or I'll-" started Chris when suddenly, a blast of fire knocked him off his feet.

The rest of the gang turned in horror as Chris was blasted into the wall, revealing his shooter, Drago. "Too easy," the half-demon said with a smirk.

"What kept you so long?" asked Shendu.

"It's a maze down here," said Drago, "And Hsi Wu's creeps kept getting in the way."

Uncle however had spotted the sword, instantly recognizing it. "AI-YA! DRAGO HAS SWORD OF THE IMMORTALS!" he yelled in horror.

"Excuse me?" asked NegaMorph.

"The sword originally used to banish Shendu," said Uncle, "It contains traces of his fire demon chi."

NegaMorph glared at Drago. "I've wanted a shot at you for ages," he said, cracking his hands.

"Too bad I'm quicker draw," said Drago before he blasted NegaMorph, Draco, and Chip into the wall, knocking them out.

The monks glared before the lead one said in the same peaceful voice as usual, "Unhand that sword. You are not worthy to hold it."

Drago turned and said dismissively, "Oh, shut up," causing a wall of fire to block them off. "Who's next to get fried?" boasted Drago.

"How about me?" said Jade, getting into a fighting pose.

Drago looked at Jade before laughing. "If you insist," he said before sending a fireball at Jade. Jade jumped out of the way before sending a white fireball back. Drago swung the sword and cleaved it in two. "This is too easy." laughed Drago before sending another trio of fireballs in Jade's direction. Jade countered with her own fireballs.

"Uncle, do you have the chi-o-matic?" asked Jackie.

"I do not have a spell for every eventuality!" snapped Uncle.

"Uh, I have an empty jar we could use," said Tohru, pulling a glass jar out of his bag.

Chris groaned, "Just...do it…" from where he was laying down.

Uncle took the jar and started waving his dried lizard while chanting. Drago turned in horror as he heard that before bringing the sword round to send a fireball at Uncle, only for Jade's own fireball to knock the sword out his hand. The sword clattered to the floor before a purple light shot out of it. The light headed towards Uncle before suddenly curving around him and going past.

Jackie spotted the beam's destination. "El Toro...run!" he called out.

Unfortunately, while El Toro had the Ox Talisman, he didn't have the Rabbit Talisman. So he couldn't move fast enough to keep the fire demon chi from reaching Shendu. A flash of fire erupted from Shendu, knocking El Toro away. Demonic flames covered Shendu as stone became flesh and blood. In a few seconds, Shendu had returned to his original form. "It's good to be free again," said Shendu, "And even better now that I can have my revenge."

Chris had recovered enough to get up and to see Shendu. "Oh...smeg," he said simply.

"Uh, see Dad?" said Drago, "I was planning on freeing you all along."

Shendu turned to glare at Drago. "Do you think me a fool? After the last time?" he said coldly.

"Hey, what's more important: revenge against your son or revenge against your archnemesis?" pointed out Drago.

Shendu looked between the group before saying to Drago ,"I will deal with you later."

"Oh boy," said Jackie before running as the two demons spat fire at him. "Bad day, bad day, bad day!"

Draco and Chip got up unsteadily just in time for the fireballs to hit them. "Aw, isn't this great father/son quality time?" asked Draco, clearly not thinking straight.

"Makes you wish you had a kid of your own," said Chip, equally dazed.

Chris managed to avoid another rampant fireball simply by luck. "Ok...why does this always happen?"" he moaned.

"Uncle, please tell me you have something to take care of this," said Jade.

"Actually, Uncle does," said Uncle, "Suspected Shendu would become problem. This is why I've kept this ready just in case." He pulled a Japanese katana out of his bag and handed it to Jade, "I think Jackie may need to hold this more than you do."

Shendu turned to them before one of Draco's ice blasts and some gunfire from Chris distracted him. "One more thing, immortal sword may not have fire demon chi, but could still be useful," said Uncle.

Chris yelled, "JUST DO IT ALREADY!" before Shendu threw him into El Toro.

Jade turned and gave NegaMorph a brief jolt to help wake him up. "Hey, NegaMorph," said Jade, "Wanna help banish a demon?"

"Urgh...Why not?" NegaMorph said a little shakily

Jade gave NegaMorph the samurai sword and said, "Get this to Jackie, I'm getting the immortal sword."

NegaMorph looked at the sword before at where Shendu was chasing Jackie. "Why is it never easy?" he moaned.

It wasn't really easy for Jade either. As she running towards the sword, Drago stepped in front of her. "Going somewhere, princess?" he said mockingly. Jade glared before trying to make a grab for the sword. Drago grabbed her wrist and said, "Uh-uh, little girls shouldn't play with swords."

Jade glared harder before punching Drago on the jaw. Jade bared her claws and said, "How about we settle this? One-on-one, no dragon fire, old-fashioned way."

Drago looked at Jade before laughing. "If you wanan be beaten that bad, sure," he taunted.

"We'll see about that," said Jade before lunging forward.

…

Matt fired a hail of blasts round a corner, sending another trooper sprawling to the ground. "These are really starting to get up my nose," he said, angrily. The group had been attacked 3 times already by more and more heavily equipped security teams.

"Does this girl really matter that much?" griped Hsi Wu, "It would be wisest to just focus on our escape."

"Nobody's being a lab rat on my watch. I won't tell you again...MOVE IT!" said Matt, yelling the last part in Hsi Wu's ear.

"Ow!" yelped Hsi Wu, "Big ears are sensitive."

"Yeah, yeah, move it along," said Techo.

"Are we there yet?" moaned Megan, "It feels like we're going nowhere."

They turned the corner to see a blastdoor marked 'Subject storage'. A word that made Matt, Chloe's, and Techo's eyes narrow. "I think we've found it. Would you like the honors, boss?" said Techo.

...

"Move it...get that last cell ready to liquidate," said a trooper to a technician. The group had heard on the radio how a team of the intruders had gotten into the safe zone and they'd had orders to deal with any evidence...especially evidence that could talk.

"All of them?" asked the technician, "What about the demon? I mean, is it possible to kill one of them?"

"If it can bleed, it can be killed," said another trooper.

The technician gulped and was about to press the kill switch when the blastdoor exploded. "Knock-knock," called Matt's voice, "Don't mind us, we'll just let ourselves out."

The two troopers turned their guns before a fireball and a lightning bolt floored them. The technician fell backwards in terror. "Pl-please don't kill me," he whimpered.

Hsi Wu gave a hiss of disgust and said, "Pathetic, when I first roamed the earth, men met their end with dignity."

"Oh my god, that's subject alpha. GET IT AWAY FROM ME!" screamed the technician in a terrified voice, trying to push himself through the wall behind him.

"You see? You modern humans have so few warriors left," said Hsi Wu, "This weakling's probably a push away from fainting."

Matt grabbed the technician. "Open the cell. I can see someone in there. Open it," he said threateningly.

The technician whimpered before hurriedly punching in the code.

Matt nodded. "Thank you," he said before ramming the technician's head into the wall, knocking him clean out.

Kala then walked over to the cell. "We're busting you of here," she said, "You better hurry and move. It won't be easy getting out of here, but it's better than staying in here. We'll probably be able to get rid of your demon features once we're home free."

"Urgh...wait...did I hear Matt?" said a voice that made Chloe and Matt stop and Techo start sniggering. They knew that voice.

"Wait, why does that voice sound familiar?" asked Megan.

"Because you gave it to me once," said Matt, sounding annoyed.

The being in the cell looked a lot like Hsi Wu from the three spikes on her head to the grasping claws of her feet. Of course, there were several key differences. Namely, you can easily that under the sky blue and cloud grey light armor she was wearing, she was a girl. Also, her hands still five normal-looking fingers, albeit ending with long rake-like claws. But there was something about her messy black hair and the annoyed glared on her face that seemed so extremely familiar.

Matt knew that look and moved behind the control panel as the hybrid stomped towards Hsi Wu. "So, finally showed up, eh?" snapped the hybrid, "I would have thought you'd be in sunnier skies."

"Well, I was planning on coming back," said Hsi Wu, "I just need to find some help and-" The hybrid clearly didn't buy it and her next action showed how irked she was as she drove her knee up between the Sky Demon's legs.

Everyone winced as that maneuver proved that Hsi Wu may be an immortal demon, but he was still a guy as he folded up. "Hmm...I see you still have my rage issues," said Matt, looking at the KO'ed demon before at the hybrid.

"What do you mean 'your' rage issues?" asked Viper.

"I had a run in with a psychotic undead magic user 3 months ago. She decided to see exactly how many personalities I had. Meet Hannah...the sensible one," said Matt, conversationally.

"Wait, you mean, she's a female copy of you?" asked Megan.

"Rub it in, why don't you?" said Matt in a dangerous tone.

"Ok, awkward semi-family reunion aside, we've still got to get out of here," said Chloe.

Matt stopped. "First off, what the hell are you doing here, Hannah? Last I knew, you were going to the Heartless quarantine zone," he said a little annoyed.

"You know the guy who runs this place?" said Hannah, "Turns out he's been going outside the lines more than once. A couple people contracted me to get some dirt on him. However, McNeil got them first then bagged me."

"Ouch..." said Matt with a wince.

"Well, it wasn't all so bad until they grabbed Bat Boy there. Not like sprouting wing and claws is unusual for us, but I prefer on my own terms," said Hannah.

Matt dragged Hsi Wu up. "Let's get pointy out of here and you back to normal," he said.

"Ok, hang on a minute," said Hannah. She picked up an unconscious trooper and dragged her around a corner. About two minutes later, she walked out wearing the trooper's uniform, minus the boots and with holes for the wings and tails. "This armor was too drafty," said Hannah, tossing the demon armor to Chloe.

Matt shrugged and said, "Well, we better get back to the ship. I'm pretty sure that Chris' group will be there. It's not like one fire demon could slow them down."

...

Meanwhile, Jackie was still trying to avoid being burned by Shendu, even with Mordecai blasting at the fire demon. Shendu roared and attempted to roast the annoying pig, only for it to be flown out of range by Eggbert. "GIVE ME BACK MY TALISMANS!" roared Shendu angrily.

Jackie stopped to catch his breath. "Why did he have to get legs again here?" he panted.

Just then, a black puddle appeared in front of him and an arm holding a samurai sword rose from it. "Take this enchanted blade and with it, thou shalt cast the foul demon into the abysmal pit," said NegaMorph's voice.

Jackie looked a bit confused at that. "I'm sorry?" he said bluntly.

NegaMorph stuck his head out of the portal and said angrily, "Just take the damn sword and banish the demon."

"Oh," said Jackie before taking the sword.

"Good luck, pal, you'll need it," said NegaMorph before going back through the portal.

Shendu was struggling with El Toro when he smelled the chi magic, turning to see Jackie taking the blade. "No, not again!" he hissed angrily.

Meanwhile, Jade had managed to get a good hold on Drago's arm. She then tossed him across the chamber and right into Shendu. The two demons ended up against the far wall with a thump.

Jade picked up the immortal sword and said, "I think these two have more than outstayed their welcome. Hit it, Unc!"

The two demons turned in horror as they heard Uncle and Tohru begin the chi spell, the two swords glowing brightly. "NO!" they both called in horror. Before they could do anything, a bright yellow light shot out of both blades, crossing each other before hitting Shendu and Drago. Where the beams crossed, a demon door opened wide. Shendu and Drago clawed at the stone walls, but they were being irresistibly drawn towards the gaping portal.

Drago managed to shout, "You haven't see the last of me!" before being pulled through the demon door.

Shendu managed to catch the sides of it. He yelled, "I will be back, Chan!" Then he got sucked back into the demon realm.

Chris and the others watched as the door resealed. "Finally...one of our magic opponents...toast," he said in a tired voice.

The fire wall surrounding the monks vanished as well. "Shendu and his son may be gone, but they may one day return," said the lead monk, "But we have more imminent matters to attend to, namely returning his brother to the netherworld."

The sound of gunfire from the corridor corner got their attention before Matt's team ran round the corner. "RUN FOR IT! THEIR BACKUP ARRIVED EARLY!" Matt yelled.

Chris groaned and said, "Not even a minute's rest between deadly fights."

The monks' next shock was when Hannah ran round the corner at the back of the group, firing a looted plasma rifle at the pursuers "Another abomination of the Sky Demon's blood?" asked the lead monk.

"The first, actually," said Matt as he came around the corner, "But we can fix her."

Hannah looked at the monks skeptically. "What's with the pajama guys?" she said.

"Talk later," said Chloe, tossing the sky demon armor into the crate with the rest of the armors, "Let's just go."

The group ran for it, just as several troopers in heavy armor ran into view. "Hold it right there!" yelled the leader before they all started shooting

El Toro picked up the large crate that the demon armors were in and threw it at the troopers. Matt, who was running to catch up saw the crate heading for him. "Oh, shit," he said annoyed before trying to dive out the way...only to fail and be knocked into his pursuers. After the crate slammed into a wall, Matt squeezed out from behind it. "Ow..." he whined.

"Sorry," said El Toro.

Jade said cheerfully, "At least it wasn't you think time, Jackie," as El Toro picked up the dazed merc.

"Ok, I've had enough pain today," said Matt, "Let's go home."

More troopers were coming around the corner and were getting ready to open fire. Megan and NegaMorph quickly threw up a shadow barrier, but that wouldn't stop them for long. Fortunately, the lift had just gotten to their floor. "No time to lose," said Chloe, "Everyone get on and let's get out of here."

"What about the armor?" asked Chip.

"Leave it, it'll only slow us down," said Chloe.

"But…" started Megan before the barrier started cracking.

"If they catch us, we'll be dead before we can explain anything," said Chloe, "We have to get out while we still can."

There was plenty of unspoken reluctance, but the situation was clear. The group all boarded the lift and headed up.

"Well, at least Shendu and Drago are gone and we've cut off McNeil's supply of sky demon DNA," said Draco.

"Yeah, but at what cost?" muttered Matt grimly.

...

The gang sat down in the North Star's briefing room. Matt and his team were easily the most depressed while the rest were deciding what to do with Hsi Wu. The cause of the team's depression was clear; the first bounty transmissions with their names on had already turned up.

"Great, we're interdimensional fugitives now," said Matt gloomily.

"It's not that bad," said NegaMorph, "You just need to know where you can stop to refuel." The group all turned to glare at NegaMorph at that. "Just saying," said NegaMorph causally.

"How can you be so nonchalant?" asked Chloe.

"Well, I doubt you would remember, but the Empire did have some info on McNeil, not definitive, but enough to make him look suspicious," said NegaMorph, "I wasn't really certain how accurate the sources were, but his doubledealing's not that surprising." Matt just stared before NegaMorph said smoothly, "What? You think the Emperor smuggled all those droid samples to his scientists by himself?"

Matt said, "So, you expected him to doublecross us all this time?"

NegaMorph shrugged and said, "Had a hunch, nothing more."

Matt snapped at that, grabbing NegaMorph by the throat. Chloe shrugged and said, "Let them be, Matt's got a lot of tension to work out."

"So...what now? It's not like we can help the NSC anymore. What's the point of flying to the rescue if we get arrested?" said Techo, gloomily.

"And I just got back from being a Shar-Virk too," said Kala, disappointed.

"Yeah, all we can do is find a safe haven. Somewhere the NSC can't come after us. At least till this blows over. Hannah said she'd try and see if any of her other contacts survived so all we can do is hope," said Chloe, referring to how Matt's clone had left as soon as she had been cured.

"Let's go back to Kauai," said Morph, "It's neutral territory there, right?"

"Not really," said Techo, "That's place enough of a hotspot with all those cousins of yours running around. The Galactic Federation just needs one good reason to swoop down and-"

Just then, a voice came over the intercom, "Uh, I hate to interrupt, but we've got a problem."

Matt stopped strangling NegaMorph and glared up at the intercom, "What is it now? Did the NSC find us already?"

"No, not like that, but we've got another demon running loose," said the crewmember through the intercom.

Kala put a hand to her forehead and said, "Oh, don't tell me…"

"Yeah, Bat Boy's making a break for it. He's just made it to the cargo bay."

"That's it! I've had enough smeg for one day!" snapped Matt, "I don't care if it causes a hole to tear in the space-time continuum, I'll gonna kill that guy!" He tossed NegaMorph aside and stomped out of the room.

When Matt got to the cargo bay, he saw that the door outside was wide open, giving a clear view of the open ocean below. Fortunately, Hsi Wu had not gotten far and could be seen flying outside. Matt activated his wrist comm and said, "Tail that demon."

"Good, Uncle is almost ready." Matt glanced to his right to see Uncle pouring a green potion which smelled strongly of boiled rice over a flute that Jackie was holding.

"Good, get ready to toot that guy back to his siblings," said Matt.

"The spell will only work if the demon is within range of the immortal symbol," said Uncle.

Matt looked out to see that while the North Star was able to follow Hsi Wu, the Sky Demon still had some distance. "There's got to be some way to get him back here," he said to himself.

"I know what to do," said Morph's voice, "Just aim me at him and fire." Matt looked down to see Morph stuffed into the barrel of an old-fashioned gunpowder cannon.

"Morph, where did you-" started Matt.

"Talk later, Hsi Wu's getting away," said Morph before putting a helmet on and squeezing further down the cannon barrel.

Matt thought for a minute. There was probably a better way to bring Hsi Wu back into range…but it wouldn't be as fun. Matt moved the cannon about until he had a clear shot at the Sky Demon. He lit the fuse with a plasma spark and covered his ears.

Hsi Wu was putting all his effort into flying away from that wretched ship. There was no way he was going back to the netherworld. It would only be a matter of time before he gave them the slip and…what was that noise? He turned his head around only for something white and squishy to collide with his face.

Matt smirked as Morph made impact. "Good old Morph," he said, "He always get right into the spot to cause the most trouble." With Hsi Wu thoroughly distracted by trying to move the blob from his face, the North Star was able to close the distance between them easily. By then, Uncle was chanting and Jackie was playing on the now-glowing flute.

Hsi Wu eventually pulled off the blob with one final tug. With an annoyed snarl, he tossed the thing away. It was only then that he heard the music coming from the instrument he despised the most. He saw the ship almost on top of him, with Chan blowing on that accursed flute. He quickly turned tail to flee, but it was too late.

With one final note, a blast of green light shot out of the flute and struck Hsi Wu. The Sky Demon screamed as his body was racked with the good chi magic. Then he saw a portal opening up in front of him. "NOOOOOOO!" he screamed before he was pulled through the demon door which sealed up behind him.

Uncle gave a sigh and said, "The last of the Demon Sorcerers has been banished."

"Hopefully for good this time," said Jackie, "But where's Morph?"

Just then, Morph flew back up in Snooty's form before changing back inside the cargo bay. "Yeah, I'm a hero!" said Morph, "Do I get a monument to my awesomeness now?"

"Eh, I think you'll need to work at it a little more," said Matt.

Morph glowered before waddling off in indignation, "Bunch of ungrateful patooki-heads…no respect…"

Matt watched Morph go before shrugging. "Well, that's one less problem to worry about."

…

Things seemed to finish up in a hurry after that. Viper and El Toro went back to their previous appointments. McDonald picked up Eggbert and Mordecai. And the gang was getting ready to leave as soon as they could. However, two issues still remained. One, the Vang Xian Necklace was still stuck around Jade's neck. Two, the monks refused to leave.

"Look, we're grateful for your help," said Jackie to the head monk, "But Jade doesn't need a constant bodyguard."

"The Dawn of the Dragons is soon upon us," said the head monk, "We must stand by the Jade Vanguard's side in case the forces of darkness try to destroy her."

"Listen, being a dragon's been fun, but I'd like to be turn back now," said Jade, "I can't go home like this. I can't even go out in public like this. I want to be able to go to the mall, Moose World, or the skate park without people freaking out. I just want to be a kid again."

"But you can't forsake your sacred duty," said the head monk.

"Listen, she's too young for all this," said Matt, "Besides, don't you think there'd be a lot of panic if there dragons in the world again?"

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few," said the head monk.

"Oh, come on," said Matt, "I bet that's not even a Chinese proverb."

Just then, Uncle walked into the conference room with Tohru. "Are you still arguing?" he snapped, "Uncle could have read whole library before you finish."

"Uncle, can you please explain to these guys why it is important that Jade returns to normal?" asked Jackie.

"Not right now. I must see if any demon chi has clung to sword," said Uncle, holding up the immortal sword.

"I don't think anything would have stuck," said Jade, "If it had, we would have had to gather up all those things we used to banish the demons in the first place."

"Those items were not magic," said Uncle, "This is the Sword of the Eight Immortals. It has great power inside it."

"Then why did we not keep the other immortal artifacts?" asked Tohru before Uncle smacked him.

"Do not question Uncle," snapped Uncle.

Matt rolled his eyes and said, "That's a bunch of baloney. That sword's just a rusty old blade. You couldn't open an envelope with it."

The monks gasped in astonishment. "Young dragon, that is a most sacred relic," said the lead monk, "You should speak with such disrespect."

"Sacred, schmacred," snapped Matt, "It's just an ordinary sword and I'll prove it." He yanked the sword out of Uncle's hand and said, "If it were a magic sword, then why would it melt under a little plasma heat?"

He applied some plasma power into his hand to melt the sword. Instead, the sword suddenly sparked with energy, causing Matt to drop it with a yelp. "See, Immortal Sword is indestructible," said Uncle.

"Oh, we'll see about that," growled Matt before a plasma orb appeared in his hand.

Suddenly, the sword started glowing a golden light and floated into the air. The sword shone brighter before a transparent figure appeared around it. It looked like a Chinese man dressed in blue scholar's robes. His long black hair and beard waved in a nonexistent wind.

The monks immediately kowtowed upon the floor. Matt looked between them and the transparent figure before saying, "Ok, I'll bite, who is this guy?"

"That is Lu Dongbin," said the lead monk, "Leader of the Eight Immortals, the one who sealed away the Fire Demon Sorcerer."

The transparent figure nodded and said, "That is correct, though I am only present in spirit."

Matt blinked and said, "Uh…about trying to melt your sword…" Lu Dongbin turned to look at Matt who flinched and yelled, "DON'T BLAST ME!"

"I am actually grateful for you doing so," said Lu Dongbin, "It allowed me to know where my sword was after all these centuries. Through it, I can now speak to mortal men again. And soon, all the Eight Immortals will return, for the Dawn of the Dragon will soon come."

"Uh, about that," said Jackie, "I'm not sure we're ready for that yet."

"Excuse me?" asked Lu Dongbin.

"Jade's still only twelve years old. She's not ready to be an adult, let alone a dragon. And the world won't be able to accept that magic will be returning, at least not publicly."

"Whether they are ready or not is of no consequence," said Lu Dongbin, "We have awaited this day for a very, very long time."

"Can't you wait longer?" asked Tohru, "This seems a lot to force on everyone, especially Jade."

"Now see here," snapped Lu Dongbin, losing some of his formality, "We have all been waiting thousands and thousands of years to come back to the world. I think we've been waiting just long enough. Besides, she was able to open the box, so it must be time."

"A simple spell," said Uncle, "The box was meant to be opened by Jade, but it could have been at any time. The handprint would have grown to match her hand if it changed in any way, am I right?"

"Not to mention all that unfulfilled stuff in the prophecy, eh?" added Matt.

Lu Dongbin looked very put out before snapping, "Oh, fine, you've got me. But can you really blame me? I mean, 10,000 years is a long time out in the cold. Wouldn't you want to go back to the world?"

"Yeah, I suppose you have a point," said Matt, "But still, Jade doesn't have to bring the dragons back right now, right?"

"Well, I suppose not," said Lu Dongbin, "But still, we shouldn't be kept any longer if she has the Vang Xian Necklace."

"Which you can remove," said Jackie.

"Yes, I can, but like I said, we want to come back."

"Just give us some more time," said Jade, "Not a lot of time, just enough for the rest of that prophecy to come true and people are ready to accept magic again. Would…twelve years be enough?"

"Twelve years?" repeated Lu Dongbin.

"Yep, one complete zodiac cycle," said Jade, "Then on Chinese New Year, I can bring all the Celestials back. What do you say?"

Lu Dongbin thought about this for a while before saying, "Very, twelve more years. But be warned, magic will not remain hidden for long. During these twelve years, the forces of darkness will be producing new threats, threats that you won't be able to hide from the public eye. If humanity is to survive, it must be made aware that magic is real. You must prepare the world for this."

Then the Immortal turned to the monks and said, "You have done well with finding the Jade Vanguard. But you must also wait. She is in safe hands for now, but you have another important mission. You must protect my sword and the Vang Xian Necklace until the time is truly right."

"We shall not fail you, Lu Dongbin," said the lead monk.

Lu Dongbin before pointing a finger at the necklace. A golden light shot out of the fingertip and touched the jade pendant. There was a bright flash of light before it faded, revealing the sword and the box the necklace was found in lying on the table.

Jade, meanwhile, was back to her normal self, if dwarfed by the clothing she was wearing. "Never thought I'd be so glad to see my old hands again," said Jade.

The lead monk picked up the sword and box and said, "We shall take our leave. Our work here is done for now. I trust the fate of the world is in good hands." Then the monks walked out of the room.

"Well…that was an enlightening experience," said Matt, "But I should get going. You know, fugitives from intergalactic law and whatnot."

"Well, it sure has been…unusual," said Jackie, "But you guys have been a big help."

"Yeah, well, we might pop in some time, not likely any time soon," said Matt.

"Well, good luck with space outlaws," said Jackie.

"Yeah, and good luck with reintroducing magic to the world," said Matt before walking towards the door. As he left the room, he muttered to himself, "That has to have been the strangest bunch of people I've met yet."

After Matt was gone, Uncle said, "Those people are the craziest people I've ever met."

"Oh, no question," said Jackie.

"Definitely the strangest," said Tohru.

"Odd to the max," said Jade.

…

Meanwhile, in the demon netherworld, there was still a bit of father/son conflict going on. "I can't trust you to do anything right!" snapped Shendu, "Because of you, we're stuck in the netherworld again!"

"My fault?" snapped Drago, "You're the one who didn't flash-fry them when you had the chance!"

"You couldn't have done better!" roared Shendu.

"Of course I could have!" yelled Drago.

"Are you two going to yell at each other for the rest of eternity?" said Hsi Wu, who was perched on a nearby rock, "It's going to get real dull."

"And you, why didn't you help out when we could have destroyed the Chans?" snapped Shendu.

"Hey, don't blame me," said the Sky Demon, "I was wearing that stupid collar."

Shendu was about to really let his brother have it when a shadow fell over all of them. They looked back to see the other Demon Sorcerers there.

"Well, well, look who's back," said Bai Tsa.

"Brothers and sisters," said Shendu, his anger replaced with sheepishness, "So good to see you again."

"These extended absences are getting to be a habit of yours, aren't they?" said Tso Lan dryly.

"Well, I would have been helping secure your freedom, but I was turned back to stone," said Shendu.

"Don't give us that again!" snapped Tchang Tzu, "We've heard enough of your weaseling."

"Uh, this is obviously elder talk," said Drago, "I'll just find my own floating debris." He was about to go when the rock he was standing on latched onto his feet.

"You're not going anywhere," said Dai Gui.

"You've been as unreliable and shifty as your father," said Bai Tsa, "And if you're going to act like your father, then you'll be treated like him."

"Spare the rod and spoil the child," said Xiao Fung.

Hsi Wu grinned nastily and said, "Wouldn't be the same if the whole family wasn't' there for it."

Suddenly, Po Kong reached down and grabbed Hsi Wu roughly. "And where have you been all this time?" she demanded.

"Well, uh, I was captured by some humans," said Hsi Wu, "I spent a small amount of that time free."

"More shiftiness," snapped Tchang Tzu, electricity crackling over him, "I can't stand shiftiness."

"Perhaps, but not nearly as bad as Shendu and his son," said Tso Lan, "His punishment should be lesser."

"Uh, sure," said Hsi Wu, "Safe the real punishment for Shendu."

Po Kong glared at Hsi Wu and said, "You can started by rubbing my back. All of it." She then flicked Hsi Wu out of her hand.

The Sky Demon grumbled and said, "Why did I have to go through that stupid portal?" before flying around his sister's enormous back.

"Now back to our dear brother and nephew's discipline," said Xiao Fung.

"And none of those accursed Talismans to protect him," said Dai Gui nastily.

"Wait, wait, we can talk this out," said Shendu desperately, but the other demons were clearly not going to let him off, judging by the energy crackling in the hands.

Drago groaned and said, "This is going to be one long eternity."

* * *

And at long last, this story is finished. But clearly, other things are starting. The gang are now wanted fugitives in NSC space, but that's only the beginning of what'll be happening with them. I left the ending with the Chan clan open in case someone else may be interested in continuing the story, about how magic will be reintroduced to the world and new darkness rising over the next 12 years until Jade summons the Celestial dragons when she's 24. However, I'll have to ask that if someone does try this, they ask permission first, especially if they want to use Ghoulwyrm. I hope you've all enjoyed this story. I'm not certain what'll be next, but it may be a while. But keep an eye out and please review.


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